To Remember
by cousin D
Summary: FINISHED! Anubisu's memories have been hidden and only Rajura can restore them. Rajura must deal with someone from his past who will stop at nothing to have him, not even torture or murder. Part 3 of Pain, Joy, Life.
1. Default Chapter

TO REMEMBER

Chapter 1: The Lady-Queen

Tintagel-  
Bion-

On the banks of the Udir River there was a small house made of red bricks and moss-covered stone. It was round and squat, looking very much like a mushroom, with great tendrils of creeping vines winding their way around and over the house. It was a comfortable, homey sort of house, with just enough room for two or three people to live in, if they were small. Fortunately, imps were quite small.

A knock at the door woke Bion and he stirred groggily in his sleep only to hear a sweet voice whisper,

"Don't go."

"I have to." Bion yawned and rolled over, out of bed, leaving his mate curled under the blankets. He hated being woken in the middle of the night and swore that if this was some neighbor come to borrow something, he would slice their throat on the spot. Of course, then he'd have to hide the body. No sense in upsetting Jildan. She was sensitive about things like that. The first time Bion had left a body on the front step, Bion feared that she'd have a fit the way she kept going on and the way she scrubbed at the blood stains on the stone step for hours. Females…go figure.

Bion dressed himself slowly, giving himself time to wake up and whoever it was at the door time to change their mind and leave. He hoped that if he took enough time, they'd loose interest and just leave, but the knocking continued and grew more urgent. Finally, exasperated, Bion went to the door and threw it open only to have his mind freeze in shock. Quickly, Bion collected himself and bowed. "Your honors."

There were three of them, surely too many to waste on a simple imp like himself. Unless, of course, they'd tracked him from one of his previous jobs. All three wore gleaming, silvery armor and helmets with white plumes. Their faces bore the familiar, telling pallor of the aristocratic fae along with the fair eyes and full lips. The rulers of Tintagel, the fae were the most feared of all the creatures in Tintagel. Not only for their army and for the natural glamour they possessed, but for their queen.

"Bion Na Underic?"

"That's me." Bion stepped out of the house and closed the door behind him. They wouldn't know about Jildan, probably, so he would keep her out of the picture for as long as possible, just in case this turned messy. "What are you here for?" No one expected manners form an imp, so Bion never bothered with them. Especially not with fae.

"You've been summoned to the Castle of Light by orders of her majesty, the Lady Queen Sedari. You are to come at once."

It was a summons that Bion couldn't ignore and couldn't protest. "Let me tell my mate…"

One of the fae shoved his spear across the doorway behind Bion, blocking his way back into the house. "The Lady Queen insists upon your presence as soon as possible."

"Yes. Yes, of course." Mutely, he nodded and motioned for the queen's soldiers to lead the way while he hoped Jildan would understand his leaving in the middle of the night. She'd forgive him as soon as she heard out his reasons. No one refused Queen Sedari.

The Castle of Light-

Even the castle had an arrogant name. Castle of Light. Who, but an arrogant fae, would think up such a foolish name. It was meant to be symbolic, that all of Tintagel would look to the castle, and the royal family, for inspiration in all aspects of life. What a load of rubbish. Who would admire the useless fae? Who would look to the mad queen for inspiration?

The room was lit softly with candles, hundreds of candles on elaborate candelabras placed around the room. Through the dim light of those candles Bion watched the dancers and hated them. The throne room itself was immense, its high ceiling rising so dramatically that the arches that lined the throne room might as well have not been there. It made no sense to Bion. Why would they have a ceiling that's only purpose seemed to be for the arches to have something to hold onto? Everything, from the stained glass ceiling to the white marble floor were opulent, designed purely for beauty and aesthetic pleasure.

'Uppity fae! Would that I could bring this hellish paradise down around their ears.' It wasn't only the throne room or the palace of the Lady-Queen, but the entire realm of Tintagel, the great city of the fae, was like this. Though they couldn't quite match her beauty, all the fae were beautiful. It was as if any ugly child were killed before anyone could see it and embarrass the unlucky parents. Beauty was what mattered in Tintagel, beauty and nothing else. 'If I had the power...' But Bion didn't have the power to topple the fae. He had power, sure enough, but not enough to match the fae. His power lay in a different vein.

They, the fae of the queen's court, swayed to the music that Bion could only partly hear. The music came from everywhere around them, the very air was leaking music and what little he could hear, Bion tried to ignore. It was fae music and, like all things fae, it couldn't be trusted. So he kept his eyes on the people and concentrated. He didn't need to concentrate to fight passed the fae glamour, it didn't effect him. Glamour was laced into the music, poisoning the air like a too heavy perfume. The powerful scent of flowers was so overbearing that it had turned into something fetid and, at that moment, Bion wished that he didn't have to breathe.

The fae were all masked, clad in elaborate outfits of flowing silk in pale colors. Males and females swung in each others arms, trading partners seemingly at whim while they glided across the white floor. He could hear them laughing, the women hiding their mouths behind fans and the men smirking darkly. Their secrets were hidden behind those masks and, frankly, Bion didn't want anything to do with them or their secrets. He was here on business and as far as he was concerned, the sooner the business was done, the better.

He took a deep breath and started through the crowds of dancers, deliberately not looking up at the taller fae around him. He was shorter than anyone else in the room but that was only natural as imps were small by nature. He was really nothing like them. His skin was dark green, almost black. It was the color of rotting seaweed. His hair was tied into long braids, as was the tradition with the imp men. His body was very thin, like a dressed up skeleton. For this occasion, he wore fabric, not the usual leather he preferred. The guards who'd escorted him to the doors of the throne room had made a detour shortly before arriving and took Bion to a little room where he'd found a new set of clothes waiting, tailored exactly to his size. Of course the Lady-Queen would have thought of that. It was to placate the fae who would see him. They all abhorred the idea of wearing dead animal skin. Even through the thin slippers he'd been provided with, Bion could feel the cold floor on the soles of his feet and he wished for his tough leather boots. The floor was icy cold, unlike the too warm air. Everything about this place was uncomfortable.

There was a fae watching him. Blatantly staring, she wore no mask and watched him with eyes unclouded by the lassitude that seemed to infect every other fae in the room. She was also the only one not dancing.

Bion frowned. She looked very much like any other fae, fair hair and skin, but she wasn't dancing. In fact, she looked rather cross.

"Ah, there you are."

Bion didn't spin around when he heard the voice, but his attention did shift away from the woman watching him. The Lady-Queen was more vital to pay attention to. He believed that a big reaction was what she wanted and, therefore, he didn't do it. It wasn't anything she could punish him for without looking foolish herself, so he enjoyed his minor act of defiance. "You invited me, Lady-Queen. How could I not show?" Then he turned to face her and found the Lady-Queen of the fae lounging on the floor, leaning up against a fae male. At least, Bion believed it was male. They sat on a set of short steps leading down into the room and the Lady-Queen's long legs were stretched out in front of her, bare from the knees down and with only a pair of soft slippers on her feet.

"How very kind of you. I've heard much about you, Bion na Underic. They say you are the best at what you do. You are the best retriever." She reached back, over her shoulder, and stroked the cheek of the male she was reclining against. The male made a soft groaning sound and closed his eyes, as if her very touch was the height of ecstasy. Perhaps it was ecstasy. Who could tell what effect the queen's touch would have. Glamour leaked from her body like a polluting sludge and the male was, no doubt, getting the full force of her power. Did she even realize what she was doing to him? Did she care?

"They are quite right, Lady-Queen. Your soldiers told me you wanted to speak in private. I'd hardly call this private." He glanced around at the dancers and felt ill at ease. Something was very wrong. It was all so beautiful on the surface. Pale silk and pristine white walls and floor. Brilliant flowers of every color imaginable decorated the room. The delicate music that came from everywhere and nowhere. Everything was beautiful…on the surface. Bion could feel something deeper…something darker. It lurked under all the beauty, hidden behind the glamour of the fae. Bion could see that dark secret most clearly when he turned back to Lady-Queen Sedari and met her eyes. He quickly averted his eyes.

"Perhaps you are right." She stood gracefully and walked away from her indolent lover without so much as a word and he, for his part, barely noticed as he was still too lost in whatever world of pleasure she had put him in. The dancers parted for her, even while they danced. They slid easily out of her way and then back to where they'd been, as if it were all part of one designed dance.

Bion was given no such consideration and was left to make his way passed the fae, trying to keep up with Lady-Queen. He had to dart between the dancing couples as well as small groups of people laughing and holding each other. There were people at the walls, half-hidden behind in the shadows on little, intimate sofas and, as Bion made his way to the Lady-Queen, he saw a large sunken area filled with pillows where lovers gathered. He looked away and kept his mind on the reason he'd come to this damned place.

Fae power.  
By the time he caught up with her, Lady-Queen Sedari was sitting on her throne.

It wasn't actually a ballroom, despite appearances. It was the throne room of the fae. The eternal Lady-Queen, sitting on her golden throne, as delicate as a spider web, by way of long dead artisans who'd so careful crafted the royal seat. It was truly worthy of the Lady-Queen, matching her ageless beauty. The Lady-Queen was an indescribable beauty, though even that seemed to mild a term. Her hair was the color of flax and piled high on her head in ornate curls and braids. Her eyes reminded one of the color of a winter sky and her skin was flawlessly fair. Physically, there wasn't a single sign of imperfection.

Physically, that is, according to most people. Frankly, Bion thought all fae were more than a little repulsive. All that white skin…ugg.

"Exactly how successful are you?" Queen Sedari made it sound like a question, but she already knew his reputation. She had to know or she wouldn't have sent for him.

Bion would play this game if she wished it. "You won't find a retriever with a better success rate than mine. If you've lost something, then I can find it." He knew it wouldn't be so easy. The Lady-Queen wouldn't have sent for someone like him without very good reason. She wouldn't have called him if she'd lost a trinket.

There was a look of want in her eyes when she leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees. "I would have him back. My dearest Ari. You will retrieve him and bring him here." The Lady-Queen Sedari said, her tone regal and imperious. She knew Bion wouldn't disobey her, not for what she was offering and not for what she could do to him if he did refuse. "He's been gone from me for so long. My poor darling, he must miss me so."

Bion felt faint, but then steeled himself. Ari. Of course. What else would be so important to her that the Lady-Queen would lower herself to hiring an imp?

"My Ari will be found on Earth. I'm not sure where, but you will have to search amongst the humans for him."

Of course Bion had heard of Ari. Everyone knew of Ari. The name was legendary to all those who knew anything about the fae and their Lady-Queen. How long ago the Lady-Queen had gone to Earth, as many fae do, and how she encountered a child. The child who had captured her attention and didn't let go. She'd visited him almost daily for a great long, much to the shame of her father. Princess Sedari would return to the court nightly and expound on the virtues of her new child friend. She adored him and would tell anyone who listened that she would make him her king. Then, for no apparent reason, princess Sedari returned to the court in a rage. Ari had reached a suitable age for courtship and had rejected princess Sedari's advances. King Vengon had died that night and rumors spread that the princess had murdered him, though no one could find any reason or proof. It was whispered that she'd begged her father to give her permission to steal Ari and bring him to Tintagel and he refused and rebuked her arrogance and selfish desire. Once Lady-Queen Sedari had the power to do as she pleased, Ari had vanished and was never seen again.

"Thousands of years must have passed since you last saw him."

"How clever of you to guess. It has been slightly more than two thousand years." Queen Sedari was still smiling and that made it hard to see her as a murderess. "You may find him in the company of a dhampire called Kujuurou. My last agent saw them in company together, but that was many years ago. I presume they are still in company together because the dhampire has not yet returned to his sire, a master of great age and power. In fact, neither of them has been seen in many, many years."

"I suppose you've been spying on the vampire master?"

"Yes."

The answer surprised even Bion who was used to serving the strange desires of those in power and had only asked the question half in jest. To spy on any vampire, let alone a vampire master, was dangerous business. They weren't like other Earth creatures. Vampires had the talent to 'sense' when fae were present and they were quite willing and able to fight. Not only that, but most vampires were able to resist glamour quite easily. Rumor said that the vampires had even more power than anyone realized, but that was never confirmed. "And your agent survived this assignment?" Bion raised an eyebrow.

"That's not really your concern, is it?" Queen Sedair had to be one of the most single-minded females to ever have been created and Bion felt a surge of pity for this Ari she was looking for. He would be found, no matter where he was hiding and he would be delivered into the Lady-Queen's hands. Not a pleasant doom.

"My Lady-Queen," Bion said doubtfully, as common sense hit him sounded over the head like a mallet. "This man you're searching for, Ari, was mortal more than two thousand years ago. He's dead and, even for me, it's REAL hard to bring someone dead back to life."

"Your insolent mouth will be the death of you one day." It was the first sign of displeasure and at her words the dancing stopped. Bion was strangely happy. All that unending dancing was starting to get on his nerves. If only they'd stop the music, too. "He is mine and I will have him. I won't allow death to claim what is mine."

"Just trying to enlighten this ever so cheery subject with logic, my Lady-Queen. Human's don't live thousands of years. They're lucky to span a few decades with those frail bodies of theirs. How can you ask the impossible and expect results?"

Lady-Queen, tall and stately, dressed in her sheer robes of pale pink, rose from her throne and stepped down to look closer at the kneeling Bion. "I can ask the impossible because you are well-known for getting results, imp. I trust that you won't fail as your predecessor did."

"Predecessor? How many people have you had searching for him before me?"

She smirked. "Two thousand years, did you say? Did you believe that I had been idle all that time? You may be the best at this time, but you weren't always. Everyone before you has failed. Don't make that mistake. I will have Ari." Her voice, which would have been sweet if it weren't for the terrible hateful quality of it, hardened even more than usual as she spoke the infamous name. "And when I have him, I'll make him wish he'd never left me. My darling Ari. You'll be well paid for your efforts. Return Ari to me and I'll give you a third of my treasury. No one could call me stingy with that incentive."

There was a murmur in the crowd behind Bion, but he kept focus on Lady-Queen Sedari. The murmur died down very quickly, but at that moment someone brushed by Bion and staggered toward Queen Sedari. It was the male she'd been with when Bion had first seen her, the masked lover. He seemed to still be half in a stupor and tripped when he started up the steps to Lady-Queen Sedari's throne. When he fairly crawled to her with an idiotic smile of happiness on his face. When he reached her, he was on his knees and reached out, touching the hem of her gown. "My Lady-Queen…my love…"

"You dare?" Queen Sedari snarled and glowered at the adoring male.

All of a sudden, the male fell with a scream of agony. He held his head with both hands and rolled down the steps. He came to a stop just feet from Bion, but kept screaming. He screamed so loudly that it echoed off the walls. His body was ridged and curled up like an infant. His mask had fallen off during the fall and his face was ruined by the expression of pain and fear he wore. His fingernails dug into his scalp until Bion could see blood mingled with the white-blonde hair. It was painful just to listen to it, but no one moved to help him. Not even Bion who kept his eyes on the feet of Queen Sedari. It wasn't his business. There was nothing he could do to help, anyway.

When the male stopped screaming and just stared into empty space with an expression of terror, Queen Sedari waved a negligent hand. "Have him taken away. He disrupts my mood. You will succeed, won't you, imp?"

Bion bowed his head. "If Ari lives, I will bring him to you, Lady-Queen."

"No. You will bring him back if you have to drag his cold bones to me."

There was a moment of silence and Bion forced himself to keep his eyes on the floor even as a chill danced up his spine. People, guards, most likely, had come forward and lifted up the limp, staring fae. They silently carried him away, passed the dancers, and out of the throne room. "Yes, Lady-Queen." There were such terrible things one could do to the dead.

Even worse fortune for doomed Ari.

"This is what he looked like the last time I saw him." She held out a hand and just above her hand appeared a not-quite-solid image of a young man with pale skin and long white hair. His eyes were blue as ice. "My agent who saw him last reported that he now wears an eye patch." And at that, the young man's left eye was covered with a black patch. The Lady-Queen smiled sweetly and closed her fist around the image of the young, white-haired man. "Oh, and I've heard of your mate's delicate condition. Give her my regards."

Bion felt cold again, but thanked the Lady-Queen for her kind thoughts and left quietly. It was a subtle threat, but a threat nonetheless. If he failed, Jildan and the baby would suffer.

Back home-

Now…how to tell Jildan?

Bion made his way home slowly and without the armed escort that had escorted him to the Castle of Light, trying to think of what he would tell Jildan. This had come at the worst possible time. As if there was ever a good time for this job. It was utterly impossible and equally impossible to refuse. So Bion came to his home and he stood by the slow river for a long while, just watching his home. There was a light on, which meant that Jildan was awake. He was sorry to see that. She must have woken and found him missing. She'd probably been worrying all this time. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her to worry, especially in her state.

He was tempted to just leave. If he wanted to, he could turn on his heel and walk away to get the job done as best as he could. He couldn't, though. The thought of leaving Jildan alone for so long was hard to bear. It was even harder when he thought about the fact that she would probably have the baby while he was gone. If she thought he'd just up and left her, she might miscarry or, worse, eat the baby. Stress had made more than one imp mother eat her newborn.

"Where have you been!" Jildan demanded the moment Bion walk in. "I was so worried when I woke up and you were gone, you didn't even tell me where you were going!" Jildan was the most beautiful creature Bion had ever met. Her brown hair was thick and coarse, her skin dark as mud. Her small eyes were black, the best of all colors, and she was very sturdily built, not like those scrawny fae women. She was as tall as he was, but thicker around the middle. She had a deliciously big bottom.

Bion sighed and wrapped his arms around her. Imp females were much bigger than their male counterparts, but that was what made them so beautiful. "There's not much time." Jildan's engorged stomach was between them and Bion imagined he could feel the unborn child's heartbeat between them. When he held Jildan as close as he could, he inhaled her scent and knew the baby would be a girl. His daughter. His only child and he might not live long enough to hold her. "I'm going to be gone for a while. Probably quite a long while."

"What are you talking about?" Jildan pulled away a little and looked at him, curiously. "What's gotten into you?"

"I have to leave." It hurt to even say the words.

Jildan went very still. "Leaving? Why?"

"I got a job."

"Refuse it." She didn't even know what the job was, but already, she didn't like it. "I know that look in your eyes. Whatever it is, don't do it if it worries you so."

"It's not that easy."

"Since when?"

"The job is for the Lady-Queen."

Jildan looked away from him and her little ears trembled with agitation.

"Now, don't upset yourself." He patted her hair and licked her cheek to reassure her. "I'll be back. She's promised great reward at the end of this job. I can keep you and our daughter in a manner fit for nobles." He managed a smile. "Imagine. A house where you can see the stars every night. I'll have a fine gown made for you when I return, something fancy with lace on the sleeves. A dozen gowns."

His soft words didn't appease Jildan's anxiety. "Money and fancy clothes? Bion, they'll do us no good if you die!" She almost wailed and wrung her hands together. "Why would she promise so much? What is this job…oh!" She gasped when realization stuck. "Ari. She has you looking for Ari." Jildan had always been very clever and that she'd picked up on the details of the job so quickly didn't surprise Bion at all. Really, anyone could have guessed. The Lady-Queen was so obsessed with her long dead human love that it was nearing legendary status in the gossip around Tintagel. "How many have died already! I've heard of eleven people she's sent to search for Ari and not one of them has come back alive. Why you?"

"Because I'm the best." It wasn't an idle boast. It was the truth. "The Lady-Queen must be desperate to hire an imp." The people she'd sent before calling for Bion had all been fae. Tall and strong fae with their superior weapons and the glamour at their disposal. Each one of them had failed. If the Lady-Queen had any wisdom, she'd have called him long ago and those others wouldn't have had to die.

"You're going to Midgard!"

"The humans call it Earth, now."

"I don't care what the humans call it, you can't go there! You'll be killed! You know how dangerous it is there and it's all for this impossible job. You'll never find him. He's been dead for thousands of years!" Her eyes grew wide with fright, making Bion feel guilty, even though it wasn't his fault and there was nothing he could do to change the situation. "She's sending you on a suicide mission. If you don't find him, she'll kill you and you can't find him, because he's dead.!" Tears welled in her eyes and her thick fingers clutched at Bion's coat.

"I won't die, 'Dan. I swear I'll come home. The Lady-Queen has told me that if I can't find him, to bring his body back to the Castle of Light. All I have to do if find his corpse." Everyone knew the legends of Ari, the ancient prophet warrior. Everyone knew he could foresee the future and that he was a terrible adversary. Was it possible that he'd foreseen the Lady-Queen seeking out his corpse and had hidden himself so well that no one would ever find it? Ari also had mysterious magic that led him to always win in battle, though Bion thought that had more than a little to do with his precognition. But he was long dead and there was no danger from Ari. The only danger lay in the Lady-Queen. "Dying is not part of my plans."

Still, Jildan didn't look in the remotest big happy. She scowled at him, but didn't let go of his coat. "Finding a two thousand year old body isn't going to be any easier than finding a single human out of many. No one ever found him after he disappeared, did they?"

"Actually, the Lady-Queen said something about one of her men having seen Ari not too long ago, just a few hundred years." He thought about mentioning the fact that he'd been seen with a dhampire, but that would only make Jildan worry more and it wouldn't sure any purpose.

"That's not possible. He was human."

"I agree. Frankly, I think someone's been dipping a little too deep into the dust, if you catch my meaning." He passed it off lightly, enough to get at least a little grin from Jildan. "You get some rest, now. Make sure you call in one of your friends if I'm not back in a few days. I don't want you alone." He kissed her then and rubbed his cheek against hers. "I'll be as fast as I can."

Jildan grabbed his arm when he turned to leave and whispered, "Remember, you promised. You have to come back."

To be continued… 


	2. Rajura's Restless Night

Chapter 2: Rajura's Restless Night

Youja Kai-  
Rajura-

Dream-

The smoke from the fire was heavy, tainting everything with the smell. His mother was standing near the fire, tired and haggard at the ripe old age of thirty. Her hair hanging around her weary face in greasy strands. Today, though, she looked proud and it was because of Ari that she was proud. As she stood by her husband's side, the village chief, her chin was high and she beamed as Ari was led to the fire at the center of the hall by Mordane, the seer.

Mordane was old, ancient. Her back was stooped so badly that she was nearly bent over double and she could only walk with the aid of a tall walking stick. Walking in slow, painful steps, Mordane led Ari through the assembled village, all of them silent as a winter's night and all of them watching Ari. He didn't mind. Mordane had told him that this would happen ever since she'd taken him into her care and begun his training as her heir. He'd lived with her for several years before Mordane had announced, quite suddenly two days ago that she would complete the ceremony.

"It's time." She'd told him as they'd sat together in her home.

"How do you know?"

She'd smiled kindly and put her arm around him. "I have seen it. Just remember, life will take you far and your journey will be filled with storms, but I will always be proud of you."

When they finally reached the fire, Ari could see his bearded father, sitting on a stool just behind the fire, and all of his older brothers standing behind their father. Ari didn't feel very close to his brothers, he really didn't know them. They'd all been grown-ups when he'd been born, much too old to play with. His father was impossible to care for, Ari believed. The man was stiff and unyielding, far too in love with power and position to see his family.

The hall was absolutely silent, so quiet that Ari could hear his own heart thudding in his ears. Fear? No. He wasn't afraid. He couldn't be. Mordane had told him that this would all turn out just the way it should. He would be honored in the village, honored and respected. Though he was young and small, weak from a childhood fraught with illness, he would hold a place of great power just as Mordane did.

"Kneel here." Mordane gave Ari a soft push on the shoulders, urging him down onto his knees and he did as she wanted. Ari truly loved Mordane. She was kind, gentle, and told the best stories. If she was aware of how many people were watching them, Mordane didn't show it. "Child, tonight you give yourself to the pattern. The preordained pattern that governs us all. You will see what other mortals are not allowed to see - the pattern of what will come. You will give your mind to the visions and live with the knowledge of what is to happen. You must accept that there is nothing you can do that will change what you see, for you, too, are part of the pattern. Do you understand your destiny?"

"I understand." They'd rehearsed this many times so Ari wouldn't make any mistakes.

"Do you accept the sacrifice required of you? To gain some sight of the future, you must lose some part of your physical vision."

Ari looked up into her single bright eye and then looked at the place where her other eye should have been. Instead of an eye, there was nothing but a mass of ugly scars clumsily stitched together over the empty eye socket. Mordane had been very clear about what sacrifice would be demanded of him. She'd also told him that he had no real choice. This, like everything else, was already written in the pattern. He would do this because she'd already seen it and, therefore, it must be true. "I accept."

A murmur ran through the crowd of villagers, but it quieted very suddenly when Mordane pulled a packet of herbs from inside her cape. Someone handed her a clay cup filled with water and Mordane dropped the herbs in before lifting the cup to Ari's mouth and having him drink. It was an awful taste, but Mordane had told him it would be foul. He had no time before the terrible feeling of weightlessness overtook him and he felt like he was flying. He'd known that it would happen and thought, distantly, that it was good Mordane had given him the draught or he might be afraid of the knife she was holding.

"For many years now, I have seen a white haired boy with eyes the color of ice. He will be the greatest seer this world has ever known and he will be a powerful warrior, a teacher of great men. This child will change the world. Now I have found the child my visions have shown me." Mordane looked around at the villagers, holding the shining knife over her head as far as she could. She wanted everyone to see it. "Odin gave up his eye as payment for his gift to see the future. All seers since have paid the same price." Mordane turned swiftly and seized Ari's chin, wrenching his face upward before the knife was brought down and Ari felt himself gasp with surprise.

There was no pain, but he'd felt the knife's blade cut into him and he felt the warmth of his own blood run down the side of his face and drip onto his hand. When Mordane stepped back the knife was shining with blood in the firelight. She motioned to the side someone pressed a cloth against Ari's face.

'Blind.' He thought dully. 'I can't see. My eye's gone.' He shouldn't have felt so surprised. This was what Mordane had always told him would happen. From his earliest memories, Ari had always been told that he would be Mordane's successor. This was just the final moment coming to pass.

"Ari?" A soft voice whispered in his ear. "Can you hear me?"

He turned his head slowly and came to find that it was, of course, Mordane, who held the cloth over where his eye had been. Of course it was Mordane, the villagers, even his own family, wouldn't touch him after this day. It was taboo to lay hands on a seer in any way for fear that the gods would think it disrespectful and bring misfortune upon the offending village. That was why Mordane had no children or husband and why Ari would never have a family of his own. She swayed, or maybe it was Ari who swayed, and Ari reached out to touch her arm just to make sure she was real. She felt real, but at the moment he wasn't quite sure.

"I can hear you." His voice echoed inside his head and Ari almost laughed, it sounded so funny. "What's going on?" His tongue felt heavy and thick.

"The potion has to run its course. It clouds your mind to free you from the pain of your sacrifice. Tell me what you see." Mordane put a hand on Ari's head and he blinked, looking up at her. Mordane, old and frail though she was, slowly sat down in front of him and smiled, showing off her gap toothed grin. When Ari said nothing after a moment, she kissed his forehead and said, reassuringly, "Perhaps the visions don't chose to appear to you, yet. They will in time," She half turned to the people surrounding them. "It maybe be days before any are revealed to him."

Demons!

They swirled around Ari like flies around carrion. Massive, nightmarish thing grinning and screaming at him from deep in a thick mist. Their putrid breath was almost a physical touch against his face, making his skin burn and itch. There was one demon that was clearer than all the others. Dark red with white hair floating around it as if it were underwater. That one wasn't hidden by mist and its face was immobile, but the glowing eyes made Ari's soul quake. It laughed, deep and dark. It was looking for Ari. He could feel that it had been looking for him and for others. It was close to finding him.

A hand from the mist reached out and wrapped around Ari, squeezing so tightly that he felt he couldn't breathe. There were others clutched in the demon's fist. A blue haired man as cold as death. A small man with green hair and empty eyes. The last was a auburn haired boy. They all struggled and fought within the grasp of the demon, but in vain. All around him, Ari saw that there were others fighting, not trapped by the demon's hand. Suits of magnificent metal armor in bright colors holding weapons Ari had never seen before attacked the hand of the demon.

"It's the loss of blood." Mordane was saying when Ari came back to himself. He was laying on the floor, staring at the roof and the fire's smoke as it escaped from the hole in the roof. "He'll need rest for a few days and hot meat. Bring him a cup of mead." Mordane leaned over Ari and gave him another grin. She seemed very happy with him. "There he is. You'll be fine. Don't worry. The visions will start, soon enough."

Time passed and Ari sat in the same hall where he'd given up his eye, facing his father. Ari's father hadn't changed much in during the year that had passed. He was still ambitious and thirsty for power. The more Ari saw of what his father would one day do and the people he would hurt, the more Ari disliked him. The visions hit Ari often, but he didn't always tell about what he saw. He didn't always tell his father or even Mordane what he saw. Why should he tell them of what would happen when he didn't understand it, himself?

"What have you seen?" Ari's father didn't even bother to look at Mordane when he spoke. Since Ari's sacrifice, Mordane hadn't spoken of a single vision, saying that it was Ari's place and not hers to advise the village's chief. She still kept close to Ari, however, and accompanied him almost everywhere.

"I have seen the rains coming. Children in a war far away will starve." Ari didn't tell his father about the demon lurking around the edge. Every day since Mordane had cut out Ari's eye Ari had seen the demon in visions, coming closer and closer. It was nothing Ari's father needed to know about. "Your woman sleeps with your rival tonight, father."

SLAP!

The strike made Ari's head jerk to the side, painfully wrenching his neck. He caught himself before he hit the ground and looked up in time to see Mordane standing between Ari and his father with her staff held in front of her as if she would fight.

"A most…unwise action." Mordane hissed, aggressively. "Do you think because he happens to have your blood in his veins that you have the privilege of putting your hands on him?"

"I'm alright." Ari straightened himself, proudly, and touched Mordane's hand. She took it as a signal and moved back to where she'd been waiting before Ari's father had hit him. "You worry too much for me." Ari was small and had always been sickly, but he would not be weak. Not in front of the man who would show such disrespect for not only Ari and Mordane, but to the gods themselves. "You asked and I tell you only the truth, father. Your woman will sleep tonight with Olson and whisper your secrets in his ear. Tomorrow, you will kill him and you will cut off her ears before you banish her from the village. I expect mother will be pleased, anyway."

"Dear Ari," Mordane slipped another fur over his shoulders and smiled gently down at him. "You always speak so wisely." At that she smirked at her chief over Ari's head. "Your visions are always so clear, always true. How many battles have you won because of your visions? How much does this village owe you?" She patted Ari's white hair affectionately. "Your gift is powerful as I knew it would be. Far more powerful than my gift. Any chieftain would be honored to have you at his side. Any." She sent a significant look at Ari's father who looked properly rebuked. The meaning was clear. If he wasn't treated well here, she would take Ari away to serve another village and, as seers, there was nothing Ari's father could do to stop him short of killing them. If he tried to kill or even harm them, his own villagers would rise against him for everyone knew what black luck it was to bring harm to seer.

Ari's father snorted deeply, but sat back down and didn't raise his hand again. "Go on, boy. What else have you see?"

Ari…no. Rajura smiled over the fire at his father. Yes. 'I'm dreaming. This was all long ago. It's not even really a dream, but more of a memory.' This was how it should be. This was how his life was meant to be, from Mordane's protection to the stinging pain on his cheek. 'Mordane. I've missed you.' But the realization that this wasn't real didn't stop Rajura from continuing on with the dream of his childhood in far away Scandinavia. The dream continued and he spoke the same words he'd spoken so many years ago. "I have seen a thousand head of reindeer thundering across the land. I have seen darkness coming closer and sun rising over a city of metal greater than any you can imagine." He didn't know what to make of the things he sometimes saw, but father always listened carefully and seemed to take it very seriously. "I have seen myself…"

He stood at the threshold of a throne room and saw through the glamour. The fae were nothing but people, like any other people, and their queen was a rather repulsive creature. 'This didn't happen. It's changed.' This wasn't a memory of what had been.

"Give them back!" Rajura found himself shouting. There, at the far end of the room, was a very familiar figure. A woman that made Rajura's skin crawl.

Sedari reached out her skinny arms to him. "I'll have you back one way or another, Ari. We're meant to be together."

"No, Sedari. Never. Give me back my brother." He knew Anubisu was near, afraid and in pain. But he also knew it wasn't Anubisu alone who suffered from Sedari's sadistic treatment.

"He's the bait. You wouldn't have come without him being my guest."

"Guest!" Rajura thundered, furiously. "You've tortured him! I felt it! Every moment of it! I saw his pain and felt what you did to his body. Give me my brother!"

"Ari…"

"Ari is gone. I am Rajura!"

End of dream-

He woke sweating and breathless, his heart beating against his chest so hard it felt as if it might break through, and sat upright so quickly that his long white hair jerked forward and he had to brush it off his sweat covered face with his fingers.

The dream memory was nothing. Rajura had often dreamed of his childhood and Mordane, but the second part of the dream felt more like a vision and that frightened Rajura. He wasn't fool enough to think that Sedari had died during his time in the Youja-Kai. Fae could live for eons and with all the power at Sedari's disposal, there was no telling how long her life would stretch.

There was a push at the curtain that surrounded Rajura's mind and Rajura quickly strengthened his barriers. Another probing touch, but Rajura didn't let them in. Naaza and Anubisu had obviously been woken by Rajura's troubled sleep. They were curious and worried, but Rajura didn't want to deal with explanations when he didn't have any. There was a meaning to what he'd seen, Rajura just had to discover it. Most worrisome of all was that Anubisu had been involved. Rajura didn't like it when his little brothers were in danger and anything involving Sedari was dangerous.

Again, Naaza pushed at Rajura's mind, asking to be let in. No doubt he wanted to help comfort Rajura. 'Does he think I'm dreaming of Sh'ten, again? Probably.' Rajura closed his mind to them entirely and the feeling of Naaza and Anubisu faded away. He needed a few minutes to sort this out and thinking about Sh'ten tragic death wasn't going to help him concentrate. He'd only get a few minutes. Soon, they'd get impatient and come to see what was wrong with him.

Naaza-

There was something wrong. What it was, exactly, Naaza didn't know, but it was enough to wake him up out of an unpleasant dream. It wasn't a nightmare, but a dream filled with water and loud noise. The sound of people screaming and pain. He heard his father's voice yelling and his mother was crying.  
Frankly, he was quite pleased to be woken.

"Can you hear it?"

Yes. That was what was wrong. Something was bothering Rajura. Naaza closed his eyes again and let his mind still. He could feel Rajura's discomfort. Something dark and bitter, so foul to Rajura that Naaza could almost taste it. He could feel a slight pain in his cheek and rubbed at it, wondering if it was an echo from whatever was upsetting Rjura or if Anubisu had hit him while tossing and turning in his sleep. "No. It's not clear." He opened his eyes and looked at Anubisu. "He's still sunk in his own thoughts."

They'd gone to bed together in Anubisu's large bed and, for once, Rajura had chosen not to join them. It wasn't surprising. Rajura had been depressed since Sh'ten's death two days ago. At least, they thought it was two days ago. It might have been more or less, Naaza couldn't tell for certain. There was no time in the Youja-Kai. They'd all been depressed, but it was affecting Rajura more than Naaza or Anubisu. Cool, detached Rajura so rarely seemed affected by anything that his depression and distraction took them all, including Kayura, by surprise. Rajura hadn't eaten since before Arago had been banished and had spoken very little since they'd returned to the Youja-Kai.

"He feels responsible, doesn't he?" Anubisu asked. "We always teased him about being our mother. Maybe we were too close to the truth. He probably thinks it's his fault Sh'ten died." Anubisu closed his eyes slightly, until just a little bit of the white was showing. "He's feeling guilty about something. Angry, too. I think he might be scared. That's strange, isn't it? It's something big, at least he thinks it is. Why won't he tell us?"

"You know how he is. Always has to has his secrets." Naaza pressed at Rajura a little, trying to encourage him to give up some more information, but as soon as Rajura knew he Naaza was there, Rajura reinforced the barrier to keep them out. Secrets. Always secrets. Naaza tried again to persuade Rajura to let him in, but all of the feelings they'd glimpsed from him vanished when Rajura tightened the barrier until Naaza and Anubisu couldn't hope to sneak a peak at what Rajura was thinking.

"We won't get anything from him, now." Anubisu ran his hand through his hair and scrubbed at his eyes to wake himself up.

Naaza sat up and crossed his legs. He was, normally, a logical man and believed that anything could be figured out by simply thinking one's way through it. Rajura's depression and anxiety confused him. Something about it didn't seem right. "Go talk to him, 'Nubie. I'll be right there." Anubisu was most likely correct. It must be Sh'ten's death that bothered Rajura so badly. They'd all been 'not-quite-themselves' since Sh'ten had left them. His unique place in their shared mind had been taken over by the child, Kayura, after Sh'ten's death and it was a hard adjustment for everyone. Kayura kept herself apart from them and they, in turn, made no effort to welcome her or open their minds to her.

"Come now." Anubis reached out and took Naaza's hand, stroking it with his thumb. "You can't think he'd mind. He's seen you undressed before." A wicked smile curled at Anubisu's lips. "Lots of times, in fact."

"Just go." Naaza pulled his hand away from Anubisu. "I want to put my robe on."

Anubisu nodded slowly and rolled off the bed. He pulled on his own robe before leaving the room and as he tied the belt of the robe, Anubisu's movements slowed and then stopped. "You were having nightmares, too, weren't you? Something hurt my knee and people were yelling. That's what's bothering you, not being undressed in front of 'Jura."

Naaza didn't want to talk about it. Sweet Anubisu wouldn't understand. His nightmares should be of Sh'ten's death. He should be dreaming of that last bitter moment when Sh'ten's soul screamed out in their mind in pain and fear before it was snuffed out like a candle. Instead he was dreaming of people he'd almost forgotten. People he wanted to forget. After all, Sh'ten had been much more important than the people he'd left behind before following Rajura into Arago's service. But Naaza had no secrets from Anubisu. He was a simple man, almost as simple as Anubisu, and opened his mind for his brother to see. He let Anubisu feel the fear and the pain and hear the noise and screaming. He let Anubisu see the shadowy silhouettes of people and the hot, beating sun.

Anubisu pulled away from the images when they became too overwhelming and Naaza didn't blame him. "It's just a nightmare."

"Yeah. We all have those." Then Anubisu left and Naaza was alone. He waited until he heard the door close before he crawled out of bed. Yes, Rajura had seen Naaza undressed many times before, but that wasn't the point. Naaza didn't need to hide himself, he wanted to compose his mind. For a family that shared their thoughts a little too easily, distress and little things like nightmares could wreck havoc. Rajura was obviously suffering enough with his own thoughts, he didn't need Naaza's worries added on top of it.

'No point worrying about that. It's over and done. There's only now.' It was a trait he shared with Anubisu. There was no past and there was no future. There was only the here and now. Sh'ten had one theorized that it had to do with their connections to the animal spirits of the yoroi they wore, but if that was true, what did it say about Rajura? Rajura was bound to the arachnids just as much as Anubisu was to canines and Naaza to serpents. Rajura could think very deeply about the past and future, so deeply that he would tend to get lost in them. At least Naaza had the comfort of knowing that the nightmare was gone and he shifted it to the very back of his mind where he kept most unimportant thoughts. It was, after all, only a dream. Unlike Rajura's dreams, it had no bearings on reality. 'Except it wasn't just a dream…it was a memory…' Another shake of his head and Naaza pushed the unwelcome thought away. Better to think of Rajura, instead.

When Naaza was quite certain his mind was stilled, he pulled on his robe and followed where Anubisu had gone.

Rajura-

He'd drawn attention to himself and Rajura was sorry for it. He hadn't wanted the others to know, but maybe it was better this way. The moment Rajura had closed off his mind, he'd known that they would search him out. He'd have done the same thing in their place. Maybe it was better this way.

Rajura reached to his face to make sure that his illusion was still in place. The eye patch he wore over his missing eye was completely of his own imagination, but the missing eye was really missing. That was a long, unpleasant story. Just another thing Rajura didn't want to think about. There were other things to deal with, anyway. Like Anubisu.

Memory-

"Please." Anubisu said the moment he appeared in Rajura's chambers and found his eldest brother sitting in a chair by the window doing nothing but thinking. "Please, make it stop."

Rajura hadn't been at all surprised to see Anubisu. "So, it's happened?" His voice was dull and almost sad. "I tried to warn you away from him."

For a moment Anubisu said nothing, he just stood there. "'Jura?"

"Yes?" Rajura held a hand out to Anubisu, signaling for him to come closer. "Tell me what troubles you? What do you want to stop?"

"Stop it!" Anubisu growled. "You know what's wrong! You've known all along and you never told me!"

"Would you have believed me?" Rajura asked evenly. "You were so besotted by the boy, you haven't listened to anything I've said since you laid eyes on him." Rajura sighed and hung his head. "What do you want me to do, Anubisu? Just ask."

The pain was so unbearable for Anubisu. It was so terrible that Anubisu couldn't shield himself or he couldn't think straight enough to even try shielding. "Please, make me forget him."

Rajura went to him instantly and put both hands on Anubisu's shoulders. "I'm so sorry." Rajura said softly. "I'm so very sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Make me forget him! If he's killed in the coming war, I won't be able to stand it." He choked back a sob. "Better I forget him as he's forgotten me, then neither of us will suffer."

"You took his memory?" Rajura sounded surprised at that. It was the wisest thing Anubisu could have done, but he hadn't expected it.

"I don't want him to hesitate on the battlefield when he saw me." Anubisu explained his reasoning. "Any hesitation could mean death." He shook his head weakly, as if he didn't have any energy left. "It hurts so much, that I can't be with him. If I tried, Arago would kill him, wouldn't he"  
Rajura nodded. "Yes. I'll take your memory, if you want me to, but you have to be sure of this. Do you really want to face the possibility of dying without remembering him?" Rajura petted Anubisu's hair. "Do you want to chance my never being able to restore your memory? A man is the sum of his memories and this will destroy a large part of you."

Anubisu replied, "I don't care." He leaned his head forward so he was resting on Rajura's shoulder. "I just don't care."

"You're lying." Rajura told him softly.  
"Yes."

Rajura gently moved his hand to the back of Anubisu's head, digging his fingers down through Anubisu's hair.  
"I don't want to remember ever being mortal or life in the Ningen Kai. I just want my memory of here, with you and Sh'ten and Naaza." Anubisu said in a moaning sort of voice. "Everything else hurts too much."

So Rajura did as Anubisu asked. With a jolt of energy delivered in just the right spot, Anubisu jerked once before he fell forward, unconscious, into Rajura's arms. Rajura lay his brother down on the carpeted floor before he looked up to see Naaza and Sh'ten standing in the doorway and guessed that they'd seen and heard everything.

"Such sweet pain." Sh'ten murmured with his arms wrapped around himself and not even bothering to hide the lust in his eyes. "He gave up all that delicious pain."

Naaza said nothing but Rajura could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "We'll have to forget, too, won't we?" Naaza said after a very long silence. "If any of us even thinks of what Anubisu had with that Ryo boy, Anubisu will pick it up in our thoughts and he'll remember everything." Another moment of silence before Naaza came forward. "I'll go first, I guess. No sense in putting off the inevitable."

"Are you sure? I won't do anything to you if…"

"Don't beat around the bush." Naaza hissed. "We all know we have to do this for Anubisu. He'd do it for us. Just do it and get it over with."

So, in the end, Rajura ended up with all three of his brothers laying on his floor after having their memories wiped out. Sadly, that meant that he would have to remember. 'I wish it was that easy to erase my own memories.'

End memory-

For a long time Rajura stared out his window at the Youja-Kai with dark, heavy thoughts moving slowly around his mind. He'd done it for Anubisu's own good. How could Anubisu possible fight a boy he was in love with? Hiding his memories had been the kindest thing Rajura could have done, given the circumstances.

If I hadn't done it, Arago would have found out and made everything a lot worse. He'd have damaged Anubisu beyond repair. Arago was a demon and naturally cruel. He'd have made Anubisu watch while he tortured and possibly killed Ryo. I didn't have any choice. Fate rules us all and the battle was destined to happen. We were bound to fight against those children. Sh'ten's death had been inevitable.

Sh'ten was dead. The pain of his death still made Rajura's heart bleed. At least it felt like his heart was bleeding. A part of him had been cut out, stolen. There was no emptiness, as Rajura had always feared there would be. Kayura had stepped into Sh'ten's place, though Rajura couldn't honestly say he was entirely happy about that.  
I don't even know how long it's been. How long since Arago brought me here? No one but Anubisu and Naaza could possibly have understood it. To remain frozen and unchanging, all the while knowing that the world you'd left behind was going on without you. Family and friends lived and died. Empires were built and collapsed. Great wars were fought and the seasons turned as they always did. But Rajura stayed the same.

The war was over, now. There was nothing tying them to the Youja Kai. They could go back to the Ningen Sekai, back to Earth. They could live happy lives. Learn to survive in the modern world, get productive jobs. They could, in theory, blend back into human society.

No. That wasn't really possible. Anubisu could never pass for human. Even before he'd entered Arago's service, Anubisu hadn't been quite human. He was dhampire, half vampire and half human. Anubisu would never blend in well and he wouldn't start aging when he left the Youja Kai. Naaza? There was no way for him to be disguised as a normal human. His green hair and increasingly scaly skin, not to mention his reptilian eyes, marked him as being something other than human. How would Naaza change if they left the Youja-Kai and normal time started to overtake them?

Not worth the chance. They hadn't even discussed it and Rajura knew if they were to talk about the possibility of going back to their original home world, it would be he who brought it up. The others were content enough to just visit and even that they had little interest in. Naaza had no family and no love for humanity. Not surprising the way they'd treated him before his rise to ma-sho (warlord) status. And Anubisu…well…he had family. He just didn't remember them and Rajura wasn't sure if he should be reminded. And there's the whole problem. I've got to tell him. He'll find out sooner or later and it's better if it happens sooner. If Lightfoot returns and tells him, Anubisu will think I've deceived him.

Rajura could still remember his first meeting with Anubisu when Arago had sent him to look for the bearer or the Yami yoroi. He'd found Anubisu in a dark European forest living in a rude hut. Anubisu had been savage, even then. A relatively easy life in the Youja-Kai had eased away much of Anubisu's desire for a wild existence, though he'd always been closer to animals than to human, especially the bitch, Lightfoot. The she-wolf had been close to Anubisu for far longer than Rajura had known him.

And she hasn't been here since the war began. There was a reason for Lightfoot's absence, but that, too, was part of the problem. Lightfoot wasn't a wolf as they'd always believed and she wasn't female. She didn't even come from the Ningen Sekai, though that was where she currently lived, protecting the boy, Ryou, in its disguise as the white tiger, Byakuren.

Byakuen and Lightfoot, the tiger and the wolf, were one in the same.

Aside from all that, there was Naaza to consider. Naaza had willingly given up his memories to save Anubisu the pain of having to fight the boy he loved and now didn't remember almost a fully week of his life. Rajura had completely taken away every moment from his brothers that could possibly lead them to think of the boy. Now, according to the pact he'd made with the creature everyone called Byakuren and the vampire elder, Abraham, Rajura had to let Anubisu remember everything.

The perpetual twilight of the Youja Kai was beautiful, no one could deny. The sky was almost purple, but clear of stars or even a moon. The sun would never rise, for there was no sun in the Youja Kai, nor was there a moon. There was no day or night, so seasons at all. After all, Youja Kai wasn't Ningen Sekai. They weren't apart of some greater universe. Instead, Youja Kai was another aspect of Ningen Sekai. Not necessarily a better or worse aspect, just different. It was quiet and Rajura liked the silence, even if it did become oppressive at times.

Something could go wrong. Maybe that's part of the vision. I let Anubisu remember and Sedari takes him. But the pattern is fixed. Everything that happens is doomed to happen. No matter what happens, Anubisu will be taken by Sedari. Unless it was just a nightmare and nothing more. Frustrating wasn't a big enough word for what it felt like to know what was going to happen, but not knowing if it was real or nothing but fears and worries. It's my mind playing up on me. If I couldn't save Sh'ten, then how could I save the others?

Guilt pure and simple, even if Rajura knew it was useless and a waste of time. He wanted to have seen that Sh'ten was in danger and somehow do what he'd never been able to do before. He wanted to change fate.

The one thing I should have seen, and it was hidden from me. No one blamed Rajura. Naaza and Anubisu hadn't even mentioned that he should have seen it coming. That he should have done something to change what was to come. Even when they'd laid Sh'ten to rest under the shade of an oak tree on Earth, neither of Rajura's younger brothers had blamed him for what had happened to the baby of their family. But I should have known. How many insignificant things have I seen in my long life? Why wasn't I given that sight?

It was a useless worry. Rajura knew that Sh'ten's death couldn't have been prevented, even if Rajura could have foreseen it. All things were fated to happen and Sh'ten's death had been written long before he'd been born.  
That knowledge didn't stop Rajura from feeling guilty.

Cold arms slipped around Rajura's shoulders and he felt the slow, easy rhythm of Anubisu's heart against his back. Funny. He hadn't even heard Anubisu enter the room. "I thought you were spending the night with Naaza."

"And we thought you might be asleep. What's got you up?"

"Can't sleep."

"Nightmares?"

"No. Just…thinking."

Anubisu sighed heavily. "That's your delicate way of hinting that you've had a vision of some kind. You think too much."

"No. Honestly, just thinking." He was very careful to keep his deeper thoughts buried and closed away from Anubisu. Lies. It was what he did best. It was what he'd always done best.

"Come to bed?" Anubisu moved so he stood next to Rajura, facing him.

Anubisu's open, honest face was like a spear to Rajura's heart with the pain of another guilt. It weighed heavily on him. For several months he'd kept this awful secret from Anubisu and, even though Rajura knew it was Anubisu's good, he disliked himself for keeping it. He kept the secret carefully to himself, not even telling Naaza about it.  
He must have been silent too long or his faces showed some of his trouble because Anubisu asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You always lie." He moved a little closer to Rajura and sniffed. Anubisu was able to tell a lot from a person's scent, much like an animal. THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG. YOU DON'T LOOK WELL.

The mind speak was a comfort and Rajura leaned on Anubisu. He was exhausted. Too little sleep and all of it restless. If he could just get his mind sorted out he could go back to bed. MAYBE SOME SLEEP. Rajura thought back with a wiry smile. He didn't feel well. The guilt kept building and it was becoming a heavy rock in his stomach. It was new, this guilt. I'M SURE I'M ALL RIGHT. JUST TIRED.

All through the war, where there was actual danger lurking every moment of every day, Rajura had felt no guilt. He knew, then, that he was doing the right thing for Anubisu. In the long run, it had to be done. Then, Sh'ten had died. It had hurt like a hot ice pick through the heart when Sh'ten had abandoned them to fight with the other side. Rajura hadn't seen that coming. And during the last battle of the great war, Sh'ten had sacrificed himself to free them. Gone. He was dead, all of his power transferring to the child, Kayura.

When Sh'ten had died, Rajura realized that he didn't know all of the future. What if he gave Anubisu back his memories and something terrible happened because of it? What if the wyrm failed to keep his part of the bargain and didn't let Ryou remember? Ryou might attack Anubisu on sight and Anubisu certainly wouldn't fight back. If he didn't let Anubisu remember, then Anubisu was sure to go to the Ningen Sekai and his grandsire or mother would find him and the secret would be spilled, anyway.

THEN GO TO SLEEP. Anubisu easily picked up Rajura and carried him back to bed, ignoring Rajura's admittedly weak protests. Sometimes it was nice to let someone take care of you. Anubisu wasn't clever or subtle. He was like an animal, blunt and straightforward. Rajura relied on his guile to see him through life, even before he'd come to serve Arago. Naaza was cunning as any of his snakes, and Sh'ten had been extremely intelligent. Anubisu, however, saw no point in being clever when he could rush head-long into battle. "You seriously look like death."

"'Nubie," Rajura started when Anubisu started to pull up the blanket around him. "You can see the spirits of the dead, can't you?"

"It's part of my gift." Anubisu didn't necessarily like it, but it was a talent they, being dwellers of the Youja Kai, had. It wasn't anything to do with the yoroi, but something Arago had imposed on them. Considering they were servants of a demon, Arago had thought it appropriate that they be able to deal more directly with the dead. Anubisu, having a power over the dead with his yoroi, was better at it than the rest of them and when it came to such things it was often Anubisu who would deal with the dead. "It doesn't come up often, 'Jura. Other than getting information for Arago, how often did any of us have to do that?"

"Did you speak with Sh'ten?"

Anubisu went still and looked more than a little ashamed. "I was afraid to. We failed him, didn't we? He was killed because of us. I thought he'd be angry with us."

It was as Rajura had expected. For the same reason Rajura hadn't tried to contact Sh'ten, either. "It's too late, now, at any rate. He's moved on and gone. I just wondered, that's all."

GO TO BED. NAAZA WILL COME BY AND HELP IF YOU DON'T.

I THINK I CAN DO WITHOUT THAT. Naaza had medicine for every occasion, but very few of them tasted good.

Naaza's voice answered him. BUT YOU WON'T. YOU NEED SLEEP. YOU HAVEN'T SLEPT IN TWO DAYS. FOR ONCE, Naaza spoke verbally once he entered the room. "Anubisu is quite correct. You think too much." He came to sit by Rajura's side and leaned over to kiss him. The poisoned kiss tasted sweet and almost at once Rajura felt a wonderful lassitude seep into him. Naaza sat up and looked at Rajura, critically. "You haven't slept since we lost Sh'ten, have you?"

He'd tried to sleep. It just wouldn't come to him. "Anubisu, we need to talk. Something important." Rajura began to feel the effects. His eyelid dropped and his arms and legs felt heavy. It was rather like the brew Mordane had made him drink. "Stay here. Don't go hunting 'till I wake up."

"What kind of important something?" Anubisu asked.

"Memory. You need it." Rajura's eyes closed and he couldn't find the strength to open them. "I promised. I'm sorry." Rajura fell, once again, into a dream. Or was it a vision…?

The dream-

Wolves and tigers with cold eyes.

Twin dragon swords clashing in the dark.

Blood.

Anubisu crying.

Lovers.

Death.

Naaza holding the body of a dying Rekka.

The dream swayed away from the flashing, confused images. He saw a face as beautiful as the dawn. A divine figure pale blue eyes and a kind smile. He'd loved her, once. Then he saw the truth, her ugly nature burning through the beautiful illusion. Then she was laughing. Laughing so wildly and hysterically, that Ari went cold and turned away.

"Look at me!" Sedari commanded. "How dare you turn away? Look at me!"

"Don't look." Sh'ten was there, leaning against the tree he was buried under, gazing at the river he had drowned in.

"You mustn't look at her."

"I don't want to."

"Then don't. We're safe here. We don't have to leave and she can't come here. Have you looked at the water, yet?"

"The water?" Ari, now Rajura, went to stand near Sh'ten at the water's edge. He looked down and saw Anubisu standing alone. "He hates being alone."

"Then when are you going to end it?"

"I'll do it. Naaza put me to sleep before I could."

"They need to know the truth."

"Since when are you interested in truth?"

"I'm not. You are. Oh, here comes another one."

What Rajura saw in the water was…different.

A freckled man with a gun and blood running down the side of his face.

Shackles.

Sedari.

Rajura woke gasping for breath and it took him a moment to realize he'd woken up. It was his own room. His bedclothes were warm and there wasn't a sound in the castle. He was safe. "Another vision. I don't need this." Don't want was closer to the truth.

Sh'ten. It was inevitable that he'd dream of Sh'ten sooner or later. Why did Sh'ten have to be connected to the vision? It didn't bode well.

'If I sit here and think about it, I'll drive myself mad.' With that thought in mind, Rajura ran his fingers over his eye patch. It was secure and that made him feel better. 'Maybe I'm already mad. How long have they been asleep?'

On either side of him Naaza and Anubisu had fallen back asleep, looking as if they'd been asleep for hours. They looked so peaceful like that. He almost hated to wake them. But…it was time. There was no more threat from the war and Arago couldn't hurt them anymore. Time to let Anubisu remember. 


	3. Anubisu's Memory

CHAPTER 3: Anubisu's Memory

It was time to let Anubisu remember, whether that was a wise decision or not.

Rajura didn't wake Anubisu right away, as he thought that maybe he should. After all, it would surely be better to do this and get it over with. Instead, he stood up and looked down at Naaza and Anubisu, both asleep on his bed. It wasn't an unusual situation to find them all sharing a bed, but Rajura thought that it was unusual how they were in his bed. It didn't seem like that long ago that he wouldn't have allowed anyone to share his bed. 'I became weak.' Rajura thought, miserably. 'And Sh'ten died for my weakness.'

Rajura stepped back to get a better look at them. Naaza was huddled under the blankets for warmth, only his dark green hair and one hand were not covered. He was sleeping like the dead, still as a rock. Anubisu wasn't nearly so peaceful in his slumber. He lay on his back, his arms and legs tangled in both the blankets and in Anubisu's own kimono. Every few seconds, Anubisu's face would tighten and his lips would thin. He looked terribly unhappy.

IT'S JUST A DREAM. LET HIM BE. Naaza's voice whispered in Rajura's mind, though outwardly Naaza looked sound asleep, still. He was face down on the bed with one arm against Anubisu's and his face in perfect repose. WHAT ARE YOU DOING AWAKE? YOU WANT ME TO PUT YOU TO SLEEP, AGAIN?

NO. I NEED TO THINK. JUST GIVE ME A MOMENT. 'Should get this over with. Waiting isn't helping anything.' But Rajura moved back until his back was against the wall and he wrapped his arms around himself. He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling his own dreams had brought to him. He hadn't even thought of Sedari in a very long time and, for that, he was grateful. That his dreams should be mixed with both Sedari and Anubisu suggested that something would happen between them soon. Wouldn't it be better to let Anubisu have all his memories at his disposal? Then, when something did happen he would be better prepared. 'He'll be angry with me. Blazes! Since when did something like that ever affect my judgment? He has to remember. If I don't tell him, he'll meet up with Abraham eventually or, worse, that wyrm.' Rajura shuddered at the memory of the lizard-like thing. He would never, never, admit to being afraid, but if he were to be afraid of anything besides Arago, it would be the wyrm.

Anubisu groaned softly and began to writhe around, twisting the blankets in his big hands. His naked chest was revealed when he'd thrown back his blankets in the midst of whatever nightmare gripped him. His normally pallid complexion was deathly white and his forehead was covered in a faint sheen of red as he sweated blood. Long ago, Rajura had been disturbed by the blood that would leak from his brother whenever Anubisu over-exerted himself, but now he didn't think twice about it as he sat in a high backed chair next to Anubisu's bed. Now, he was used to it. Anubisu would have to feed when he woke, but that was no real problem. If he didn't want to take from Naaza or Rajura, Anubisu would just go to the Ningen Sekai to hunt for blood. It would be then that Anubisu would find out the truth whether Rajura told him or not. Abraham wouldn't be likely to wait much longer for him.

No. Anubisu was not a vampire. He was dhampire, a half-blood vampire. Rajura knew little about vampire culture, but what little he knew put Anubisu in the high ranks. His grandsire was a powerful master and his mother a well-respected woman. Being dhampire, a rare creature created by the union of a vampire and a human, Anubisu held his own power. True, he had no power in the political structure of the vampires, but his physical powers differed from the vampires. Most notably, he could walk in the sunlight.

Rajura moved closer to Anubisu when he felt the distress begin to leak through Anubisu's barriers. He sat on the bed and put his hand close to Anubisu's, but didn't quite touch him. The damage was already done, many times over, but with a newfound respect for the old legends, Rajura wouldn't touch his brothers anymore. It was too much of a risk.

More worrisome than Anubisu's reaction to the revelation, was the idea that had plagued Rajura since the moment he'd felt Sh'ten's death. What if, because of his selfish desires, Anubisu and Naaza should die, next? Sh'ten's death had hurt enough. Rajura didn't know if he could survive two more.

'I shouldn't have given into the temptation. I shouldn't have let Naaza touch me in the first place.' But the sweet memory of his first night with Naaza was precious. But it was too late for what might have been. Whatever terrible doom befell Naaza and Anubisu, Rajura knew it was his fault. Mordane had always told him to hold himself apart. 'I should have been stronger. If I wasn't so weak, I'd have walked away from Naaza that night.' But Naaza had reached out to him and spoke so softly. 'He lulled my good-sense to sleep.'

"No mundane mortal may lay hands on a seer." Mordane had told him. "The gods take offense at such disrespect. The moment you sacrifice your eye for sight of what is to come, you become their instrument. To allow any mere human to lay hands on you is to allow a possession of the gods to be defiled." To touch a seer would bring great misfortune. When had Rajura stopped believing that? Maybe he didn't want to believe. Life without touching was unbearable. To look around and see people in love, holding hands or sharing a simple kiss…was it all to be denied to Rajura? After Mordane's death, Rajura had been alone for so long. Years went by when he had meticulously covered his body to prevent any accidental touch. He'd turned down many hopeful lovers and walked away from even friendships.

ARE YOU DONE WITH THE PITY-FEST? There was something very unpleasant in Naaza's question, a hurt anger. YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ALONE FOR CENTURIES. WHAT AM I? DOG MEAT? Naaza's large eyes slid open for the first time since Rajura had realized he was awake. The look he fixed on Rajura was not a happy look.

FORGIVE ME. I THOUGHT I WAS SHIELDING BETTER.

IS THAT ALL YOU'RE SORRY FOR?

I WAS JUST REMINISCING. IT'S NOTHING FOR YOU TO WORRY ABOUT. A simple touch could bring bad luck or even death to the offender. Time had dulled Rajura's fear of that. After all, he'd touched his brothers all the time and nothing horrible had ever happened to them. Not until Sh'ten had died. YOU WERE WORTH WAITING FOR.

Naaza seemed satisfied with the answer and his eyes closed again looking as if he hadn't woken at all.

Rajura reinforced his shields while at the same time kept himself in tune with Anubisu and his nightmare. He really must be tired if he was letting so much show through his shields. He went back to staring at Anubisu, still restlessly tossing in the grip of his nightmare, and wondering how he could possibly tell Anubisu that he'd hidden a great many memories.

"Rajura?"

"Yes, my lady?" Rajura didn't turn to face the girl who walked into the chambers, he didn't have to. In all of the Youja-Kai, Kayura was the only girl.

"Please, don't call me that." The door swung open without a sound, but Rajura could hear Kayura's soft footsteps as she made her way to his side and he felt the touch of her robe against his arm. "Is he all right? I thought…I mean…he seemed afraid."

"He'll be fine. It's only a nightmare." There was no reason to tell Kayura what Anubisu was dreaming. "You don't have to stay. I'm going to wake him in a moment."

"Oh." She didn't yet have enough practice to shield herself properly and Rajura felt her dip into loneliness.

"Did you want something?" Rajura asked after a moment. He tried not to feel as irritated as he felt, but he couldn't help it. His shields were stronger, though, and he knew Kayura wouldn't be able to tell what he was feeling, one way or the other. "You should get some rest. It's been a rough few days for us all." Not that there were truly days or nights in the Youja Kai, but the idea was the same. He didn't look at Kayura when he spoke, but kept his eye on the sleeping Naaza and Anubisu. It was impossible for Rajura to look at Kayura and not think of Sh'ten and his own guilt. He firmly believed that Kayura was the instrument of fate that had taken Sh'ten's life, but Rajura was the cause.

Kayura seemed embarrassed and wrung her little hands together. "I'm not all that tired, right now. I just had a feeling, that's all. I wanted to make sure everyone was safe."

Rajura clenched his teeth at her timid voice. She'd changed a good deal since the overthrow of Arago's empire and their defeat at the hands of the Samurai Troopers. No longer the regal, arrogant lady, Kayura had turned into an awkward, bashful child. Without the influence of Arago and Badamon, she'd reverted into what she really was, a girl who was barely a teenager and unsure about how she should behave. Rajura didn't like this change. He didn't want to feel pity for her. He didn't want to like her. Most of all, he didn't want to forgive Kayura or himself.

A tentative touch reached out for Rajura's mind and he, shocked that Kayura would be so blatant, pushed her mind away, roughly. "Don't!" He snapped, swinging around to face her.

Kayura stumbled away, as if he'd physically hit her and leaned against the doorway for support. She trembled and looked down, hiding her face with her hair. She really was just a child. A frightened child who cowered away from him. Since when had Rajura sunk so low as to frighten children? "I'm sorry, Rajura-san. I only…"

Rajura said nothing and turned back to look at Anubisu. He'd made it very clear that he didn't like her touching his mind, as he allowed his brothers to do. She just didn't feel right. She was too new and felt too much like Sh'ten. The feel of her mind against his was something like Sh'ten's, though there were enough differences to tell that it wasn't Sh'ten. Her touch left a bad taste in Rajura's mind. No. Not exactly bad. Unfamiliar was closer to the mark.

"What of this feeling you had? Anything specific?" Rajura asked briskly, eager to change the subject. He was all too aware that Kayura felt alienated by her new brothers and the immense guilt she suffered from her memories of Sh'ten's death. Intellectually, Rajura knew it was his role, as eldest, to take care of and protect Kayura as he had for Naaza, Anubisu, and Sh'ten. She was their sister, now, and even more of a child than Sh'ten had been. She was thirteen. Barely more than a babe and should have been still clinging to her mother's skirts, if there was justice. Whether he like it or not, Rajura was responsible for her. He worked to soften his gaze and spoke more gently. "Anything you can think of might help."

"I'm not sure. I was sleeping and I had an awful feeling that someone was in danger. It was like something from far away. But it was getting closer." Kayura was still dressed in her night clothes with one hand securing her robe and the other hand clutching the staff of the ancient. How had he missed the staff before? It was rather an overbearing thing. That was a signal that she was really worried. Normally, Kayura didn't like touching it, but now her knuckles were white as she held it so tightly. She looked so young and frail.

"If you get anymore of these feelings, please tell me." Rajura told her. He was proud that his voice had returned to it's normal level, but well-aware that Kayura was still feeling badly. "Feelings like that are often something to worry about. Considering who we are and where we live, we can't discount anything."

"Yes, Rajura-san."

Rajura felt an urge to say something that would make her feel a little less isolated, but he didn't act on it and when she walked out of the room, he let her go without a word.

'A bad feeling. I've had a bad feeling since Sedari appeared in my dream.' Rajura really didn't want to wake his brothers. They looked so peaceful, just laying there. Rajura walked around his bed, never taking his eyes off them. How beautiful they were. Utterly, unspeakably beautiful. Rajura had never ceased to marvel at the beauty of his brothers. Naaza's emerald hair and Anubisu's strong, hard face. Anubisu was bigger than Naaza, more muscled. Naaza was thin and lithe, like Sh'ten had been. Poor, vain Sh'ten.

WON'T YOU SHOW HER ANY SYMPATHY?

Rajura turned his attention away from Anubisu and to Naaza, who, again, didn't so much as opened his eyes. BE SILENT, NAAZA.

NO. I DON'T THINK SO. ONE OF US IS GOING TO HAVE TO TALK TO KAYURA. SHE ISN'T AN OUTSIDER. I'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU TO DO IT. SHOULD I TAKE YOUR PLACE?

The suggestion that Rajura wasn't fit to hold his place as eldest and caretaker was insulting, especially coming from Naaza. MY, MY, BUT AREN'T YOU THE SENSIBLE ONE TODAY. Maybe he was just a little bit testy what with the dreams and dealing with what he was going to have to do with Anubisu.

ONE OF US HAS TO BE. Naaza paused. HE'S STILL HAVING THE NIGHTMARE? WHAT'S HE DREAMING ABOUT?

THAT'S NOT YOUR BUSINESS. Rajura replied, somewhat primly. As eldest, Rajura took it upon himself to monitor the dreams and nightmares of his brothers, but he had never once used this self-granted privilege against his brothers. When awake, the others could block their minds from Rajura, but asleep was a different story. When asleep, especially during nightmares that stressed the mind, Rajura was able to pay a visit into the minds of his brothers. That is to say, he could see and hear what was going on and influence the dream in little ways. GO BACK TO SLEEP, NAAZA.

NO. I DON'T THINK SO. WHY DON'T YOU DO WHATEVER IT IS YOU HAVE TO DO AND STOP WORRYING? YOU'RE GIVING ME A HEADACHE. Naaza's hand left Anubisu's arm and reached out for Rajura.

"No mundane mortal may lay hands on a seer." Mordane's voice echoed at Rajura from the distant past. Her warning clear in that he could never touch another human.

Rajura pulled his hand away from Naaza.

WHAT'S WRONG?

NOTHING.

YOU'RE MAKING ME WORRY. STOP IT.

SOON.

Naaza was clearly not pleased by the answer, but still didn't bother to open his eyes. SO YOU SAY. Naaza rolled over, away from Anubisu and Rajura. AT LEAST GIVE HIM A PLEASANT DREAM FOR ONCE, WON'T YOU? HE'S HAD SO MANY NIGHTMARES, LATELY.

I'LL GIVE HIM SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE ENJOYABLE IF THIS DOESN'T PASS SOON. BUT NIGHTMARES ARE USEFUL AND DO SERVE A PURPOSE. It was hard to explain, but Rajura knew he was right. The deep mind was even more mysterious than the waking one and it hid so many dark secrets. The deep mind was the deep part of the mind and even Rajura had no power to affect that part of the mind. He could make suggestions, but he couldn't force anything to happen.

Naaza's mind fell silent and still, even more still than when Naaza slept. Rajura had never been able to figure out how Naaza could do that. Even Rajura had to work to make his mind so still and Naaza did it so effortlessly.

This left him, basically, alone with Anubisu. He made sure a large fire was kept burning, remembering Anubisu's abhorrence of the cold he was doomed to live in, and did his best to keep Anubisu covered, despite the thrashing and twisting. The nightmare, from what Rajura could see of it, wasn't exactly terrifying, but it was disturbing.

Curiously, Rajura focused his mind a little more and peered through the curtain of sleep that clouded the upper layers of Anubisu's mind.

Anubisu was running. Running towards someone dark and distant, someone that, no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't catch. It was desperately important that he catch it, whoever it was. The dark figure was warm, addictively warm. It was like the scent of lilacs on a warm spring morning. It was a soft, gentle heat that could warm his eternally cold skin. It was dark in Anubisu's dream and he ran through a forest that was dead silent so Rajura knew Anubisu thought he was in the Ningen Sekai. Anubisu ran on, desperate to catch what he longed for.

'Soon.' Rajura silently promised.

In his sleep, Anubisu suddenly went still before his whole body tensed and he arched his back, nearly lifting his whole body off the bed, and let out a terrible roar of frustration.

Still, Rajura didn't move from his seat. He didn't want to wake Anubisu. Anubisu would only be confused when he couldn't remember the nightmare that had gotten him so worked up. Instead, Rajura decided it was time to end the chase for Anubisu.

FIND HIM, KUJURROU. Rajura encouraged, though he knew that in the deep dream state Anubisu was unlikely to actually hear him. DREAMING WON'T HELP, BUT, FOR NOW, CATCH HIM. HE'S CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.

As he spoke to Anubisu's dream-self, Anubisu drew closer to the person he was chasing. The heat growing stronger every moment.

GRAB HIM! DON'T LET HIM GO!

Anubisu reached out with both hands and did as Rajura told him, and seized the warm figure and pulling it close.

It was then that Rajura withdrew himself from Anubisu's dream, knowing that it would be a pleasant dream until Anubisu woke. They had time enough to wait for Anubisu to finish his dream in peace.

KIND OF YOU.

Rajura scowled at Naaza's still form. At least, he stared at the back of the Naaza's head and his messy hair. OH, BE SILENT.

BUT YOU ARE. EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO ADMIT IT. AFTER YOU TELL ANUBISU WHATEVER IT IS, I THINK YOU AND I NEED TO HAVE A TALK.

ABOUT WHAT?

ABOUT WHY YOU HAVEN'T TOUCHED EITHER OF US SINCE SH'TEN'S DEATH.

Rajura sighed and turned away. THERE'S NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT.

A LIE. "'Jura, I know you too well for lies to pass between us. Something IS wrong. You holding yourself apart…I don't like this. It's like when I first met you. I know you're mourning for him, we all are. You won't even let yourself come close enough for our hands to brush, let alone a simple kiss. Don't worry, I won't press you, yet. Take care of Anubisu, first."

Anubisu-

Rajura looked like Hell. There were dark circles under his eye looked all the wore for that his skin was paler than normal. His hair, his pride, was mussed up and hanging in unkempt strands.

"Back to bed, 'Jura." Anubisu yawned and stretched his long legs. "You look like I feel. I haven't been hunting lately. I think I need some."

"Then it's time to learn a few secrets I've been hiding." Rajura stood up when Anubisu reached out for him. Strange. Rajura normally loved to touch and be touched. He'd always been like Sh'ten in that respect. "Anubisu, I've hidden some of your memories."

"What?"

"Your memories. I've hidden them. Would you like them back?"

Anubisu started to laugh. "You've never been one for practical jokes. What's brought this on?"

"I'm so glad you find it amusing." His sad expression said otherwise. "When you next go hunting in the Ningen Sekai, you'll meet up with your grandsire and your mother. They're probably waiting for you right now."

"I don't have any family other than you and Naaza. You know my father died when I was a child. You know that, why are you lying to me?"

"This time, I'm not lying. Tell me, who took care of you between the time of your father's death and the night I found you?"

"I…" Anubisu's mind went blank. Surely, there was someone. But he couldn't think of anyone. In fact, he couldn't think of any details except that he'd traveled around a lot and ended up somewhere in Europe. He knew he'd lived with someone, but the name and face escaped him. "'Jura, what have you done to me?"

"Only what you asked."

Anubisu, now fully awake and growing angrier by the moment, reached out his mind to Rajura, but found only a blank, black wall in front of it. "What are you talking about? Why would you hide my memories?" There had to be a reason, but if it wasn't a damned good one, Anubisu was about to loose the great deal of faith he had in Rajura. There had to be a reason. Why would Rajura offer to restore the memories now?

"Because you asked me to. Do you want them back?"

"This isn't funny."

"I didn't think it was funny to start with. Do you think I'd have done anything if you hadn't begged? You sat on your knees and begged me to take the memories away because they hurt you so badly. Because you were so afraid. Do you want them back?"

"Yes." Anubisu's hands balled into fists when he realized Rajura wasn't going to give him any real choice. If he wanted to know what was so painful that he'd beg to forget, he would have to remember. Surely, it would have been kinder to just tell him and then let Anubisu decide.

Rajura closed his eye and Anubisu suddenly remembered.

He saw it all. Like it all happened in that instant that Rajura closed his eyes.

Father's execution at the hands of the mob.

Mother crying while she carried him through the air.

Abraham, the devilish child.

His first taste of blood while mother smiled approvingly and Abraham whispered words of comfort when Anubisu, Kujurrou, cried afterwards.

The night he left Abraham's manor to distance himself from the vampires who made their home there and from Abraham who had been getting a little too affectionate for Anubisu's comfort.

He remembered hunting in the Ningen Sekai and seeing, for the first time, that desolate boy standing on a street corner with his hands in his pockets and his head lowered. The fire in that boy's blood singing through Anubisu when he tasted him for the first time. Electric blue eyes and dark skin.

Rekka.

Wildfire. The boy was Ryou, the wildfire. Such a deliciously apt name.

The vulnerable, sweet boy… "I made him forget me. I took his memories." Anubisu buried his face in his hands, but couldn't control himself. Before he could stop it, a painful moan worked its way passed his lips. The moan grew louder until Anubisu couldn't help himself and threw back his head to let out a full-throated howl. It had been necessary. Anubisu remembered his reasoning when he'd gone to Ryou and stolen those memories. If Arago had ever suspected that they knew each other, he'd have used that knowledge to ensnare Ryou or kill him and Anubisu couldn't bear that thought.

"I'm sorry," Rajura said. "It was for the best. Please, believe me."

Anubisu nodded. "I know. I wish you'd kept it from me."

"There were other things to consider. Your grandsire, for one. He and I made a deal for the sake of your happiness. I took your memory to protect you from Arago and the inevitable fact that you would face Ryou in battle. When the war ended, favorably, I was to restore your memory. Your grandsire guarded Ryou for you. We hoped that this would be enough to guarantee your happiness."

Anubisu started laughing again, but without any joy in the sound. It was a bitter laugh. "It would have worked, too."

"Oh?"

"I took Ryou's memory of me. Do you understand? He doesn't remember me at all. My power isn't like yours, 'Jura. I can't give back memories I've taken. They're gone, completely. He'll never remember me."

"What are you going to do?"

Anubisu stood, shakily. "I'm going to the Ningen Sekai."

Rajura waited until Anubisu was gone and until he sensed that Anubisu had left the Youja Kai before he even looked at Naaza. "I'm sorry."

A black glare was the only answer Naaza deigned to give.

"Please, you know why I did it. You agreed to it."

"Go away." Naaza's glare didn't lighten. He turned over and lay down on his belly. "You could have warned me. I can practically taste that human," He spit the word, bitterly. "Thanks to Anubisu's newly recovered memory. I could live without it."

"It's not that bad. I took some of your memories, too. Do you want them back?"

"Do they all involved Rekka?"

"Yes. I only took a few moments of your life, honestly. Just what you knew about that boy and Anubisu being involved."

"Then, no. Bad enough that I have to feel it all second-hand from Anubisu, I don't want to think about humans in any kind of sympathetic light. Now, go away. I have to get this nasty human taste out of my mouth and out of my mind." Naaza looked at Rajura again and finally relented a little. He gave a short chuckle. "Oh, go on. Go look after him. We both know you're worried about what's going to happen when he finds the boy. And what else was Anubisu thinking about? A couple of vampires. Rekka's not going to know Anubisu if he's fool enough to try talking to the boy. Who knows how vengeful those Troopers might be? We did cause them a fair bit of trouble in the last few months, didn't we?"

To be continued… 


	4. Home

CHAPTER 4: Home

Ningen Sekai-  
Ryou-

In his dream, Ryou ran as fast as he could, so fast that his chest hurt and he felt like falling down in exhaustion. Someone was chasing him and Ryou hated being chased. It made him feel like prey with a sharp toothed predator closing in behind. He wanted to be the one doing the chasing.

FIND HIM, KUJUUROU. DREAMING WON'T HELP, BUT, FOR NOW, CATCH HIM. HE'S CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.

Who was Kujuurou and who was speaking? Ryou knew the voice but he couldn't think who it belonged to. When the voice spoke, whoever was chasing Ryou drew closer and Ryou could feel an icy wind tickle at the back of his neck. Then he was seized in powerful arms and the voice spoke when the person pulled Ryou against his chest.

GRAB HIM! DON'T LET HIM GO!

Whoever he was needn't have yelled. Ryou didn't so much as struggle. The urge to run vanished as soon as his pursuer touched him. He felt safe. Protected in the cool arms held Ryou as him and Ryou could hear a faint heartbeat against his ear. It was a very comfortable feeling. Sometimes, he felt like he was the one who did all the protecting and it was nice to have large, strong arms wrapped around him. So long as the arms held him, Ryou knew nothing could hurt him.

It was just a dream, but in that dream Ryou felt protected. He felt safe. It was a luxury he hadn't felt in a very long time, not since before the war had begun, before his granma had died…come to think of it, Ryou hadn't felt safe since he and his granma had left the mountains. It had been years. If the only place he could find such simple joy was in a dream, in the arms of a faceless man he felt he should remember, then Ryou would wallow in that dream for as long as possible.

"Where are you?" Ryou asked, not looking up to see the person who was holding him. He knew he wouldn't be able to see the face. "I need you."

"I can't find you." The person's voice was very familiar, but he couldn't quite remember. It was a long forgotten memory, just out of reach, sleeping in Ryou's mind. "I'm so cold. Let me hold you just a moment. You're always so warm. Lava just under your skin."

Ryou lay still for a moment, not wanting to disturb the quiet moment. There were so many questions, but none of them seemed important while the arms were around him or while that heartbeat echoed in his head. He just wanted to stay right where he was and never move again. "I'm right here. Why can't you find me?"

"I don't know. You're so far away." The arms tightened around Ryou. "You make me feel warmer. Don't leave me."

But if he stayed in the dream, what about the others? Seiji and Xiu, Touma and Shin? They needed him as much as Ryou needed them. He couldn't just never go back to them. It was unthinkable. "I have to. Everyone's waiting for me."

The man sighed. "I know. My brothers are waiting for me, too." But they stayed like that, still and safe, together until a physical touch tore Ryou away from the arms.

"Ryou, wake up." A soft shaking made Ryou open his eyes and he saw Seiji looking down at him. For just a moment, he hated Seiji. That petty feeling faded when he saw the tightness around Seiji's thin lips and the worry that tinted his thoughts when he'd touched Ryou's mind to wake him.

Seiji-

"Will you just go to sleep?"

"Can't. Ryou's nightmare's too strong." Seiji didn't like blocking Ryou out, even though that would put an end to his sleepless night. He'd always had a nagging fear that something awful would happen to Ryou if he were left alone too long. "It's that one he always has. The one about…"

"Don't tell me. He doesn't want you to know and he doesn't want me to know. Block him out. You know he doesn't like you peeking in on him, anyway."

Seiji scowled at Xiu, but inched a little closer. He liked sleeping with Xiu. It wasn't just the sex, although that was fantastic. Seiji just like being so close to Xiu, the intimacy. He'd always like how big Xiu was. He felt like he could almost wrap himself around Xiu and just lose himself in the warmth. "You know I'm not doing it maliciously. Stop hogging the blanket."

"Of course I know you aren't, but make an effort. Malicious or not, he won't like it. We need a bigger blanket. I've got a birthday coming up. You think Nasty will buy us one?"

Seiji closed the curtains around his mind a little tighter, but let himself stay open to the basic emotions coming from Ryou. "If you want a blanket, I'll buy you one tomorrow. You don't have to go begging Nasty." Frankly, Seiji rather liked the small blanket. It gave him a good excuse for cuddling. Not that he ever really needed an excuse. "It's not just Ryou's nightmare. Touma and Shin are bickering. You know how upset Shin can get."

"I know I wouldn't stand between those two." Xiu yawned and pulled the blanket up to his chin. "I gotta agree with Touma, though. I wanna go home, too. Just for a visit. I haven't even seen the new restaurant. Mama and papa don't know why I left in the first place."

"You never told them?"

"I told them about Kongo, but not that the war had started. Why worry them when there was nothing they could do about it? Besides, it started so suddenly. There wasn't any time." He fell silent a moment, but Seiji could see well enough to see that Xiu was still awake and staring at the ceiling of their room. "I think they're worried. Shin never told his moms, you know. Said he didn't want to worry them. Ryou didn't tell anyone that I know of. Did he tell your grampa?"

"No. I told grandfather about Korin and I, but I thought it was Ryou's business to tell people if he wanted them to know. All grandfather knows about Ryou, right now, is that I've taken him away to a quite house in the country so he can live in peace. If Ryou's going to tell him about Rekka, then it's Ryou's decision. Not mine." Seiji had always felt very strongly about that. From what he knew about Ryou, all of his life, decisions had been made for him. Ryou hadn't really lived, he'd just accepted what fate gave him. It was time, Seiji had decided, for Ryou to decide what he was going to do with his life. And Ryou had, for his own reasons, decided that he was going back to Sendai with Touma. "I think he'll tell grandfather, but not right now. He's just too private."

"Yeah, but he and grandpa are family now. That should make a difference." Grandfather Date was Ryou's grandfather, too. As strange of a coincidence as it was, grandfather Date was Seiji's paternal grandfather and it turned out that Seiji's dad hadn't been the most faithful of men. He'd cheated on Seiji's mom with Ryou's mom, using a different name when he did. His double life had ended when he'd gone mad and had to be admitted to a mental institute. It turned out that Ryou and his mom were living in the mountains back then and they'd thought that Ryou's dad had just abandoned them when he never came back. So Ryou was Seiji's half-brother.

"Should, but I don't know if it does to Ryou. We'll see. He wants to go back, so maybe that's what he's planning to do. I think grandfather suspects, anyway."

"Do you think that's what caused the nightmare?"

"What? Going home? Don't know. Maybe. Bad things happened back then. Not just about that whole thing about Ryou…you know. Doing THAT. The other stuff, too." Stuff like Ryou turning tricks on the streets. Like people dying. Seiji becoming a murderer Becoming an orphan. Xiu's mood darkened and it was no surprise. Xiu's little sister and Seiji's mom had been murdered by Seiji and Ryou's father whom Seiji had, in turn, killed. Touma's dad attacking Shin and Touma nearly killing his dad. Seiji had killed his dad. "How did your dad do that, anyway?"

"Hmm? Do what?" The question was enough to bring Xiu out of his dark thoughts and, for that, Seiji was glad.

"How did he get me off the hook. Not that I'm not grateful, but it was kind of odd, wasn't it? Since when did your dad have that kind of clout with judges?" When Seiji had spoken up at the end of Touma's trial for assaulting his dad and confessed that he was the one who'd killed his dad, lopping off his head with Korin's no-datchi. "Not that I'm not grateful, but you never did explain. I understand that your papa did it because he didn't want to fight with you anymore and he thought that helping me would patch things up a bit. I get that. But how?"

"I never explained because I haven't got the foggiest how he did it. I didn't even know papa knew any judges, but that one sure knew papa. I'll ask him tomorrow, alright?"

The argument got louder from Shin and Touma, so heated was their argument that Seiji strengthened his shields. "Those two are going to be exhausted in the morning."

"Good. They'll sleep the whole way. If you don't get to sleep, you won't be able to drive. You really want me or Ryou driving your car?"

"Not in your wildest dreams."

"My dreams can get pretty wild and not a single one of them involves your car. Well…maybe one."

"Keep sex out of my car. I just had it cleaned."

"You're no fun. Now, go to sleep. I'm going to have a hard enough time dragging those two out of bed without worrying about you, too." Xiu grimaced, tensed, and then relaxed.

Seiji felt it, too. Ryou's terrifying nightmare dissolved into cool comfort, like the smell of peppermint. Seiji completely shielded himself from Ryou's happiness and from Shin and Touma's tension. It wasn't the first time that Ryou had suffered from the same nightmare, but this was the first time it had turned so pleasant. Seiji had always suspected that the nightmares were because of what had happened just before the war and then the stress of the war. After all, he was pretty sure that Ryou didn't have these nightmares before they'd all gotten their yoroi. Maybe he had and just didn't tell anyone. Why would he tell people about his nightmares? With the life Ryou had lived, it would have been a miracle if he didn't have nightmares. Who wouldn't have nightmares of the Ma-Sho chasing them? Or of what Ryou had done? Seiji didn't even like thinking about it and he hadn't lived it.

"Good." Xiu sighed. "All that angst was starting to wear on my nerves."

"At least Ryou will be rested tomorrow." With that, Seiji settled down next to Xiu and closed his eyes. The war was over. Everything was back to normal, or as close to normal as it would ever get. Touma was the one who'd brought up the subject of going home, but Seiji smiled at the thought, no matter how much Shin was objecting to it. Seemed like it had been ages since he'd seen grandfather Date.

Grandfather Date had lived alone now for more than a year, ever since Seiji had left home to be with his friends. Not since the war had started. After they'd all gotten the little marble-like orbs and discovered the magic that allowed them to become warriors the likes of which were only seen in legends and manga, everything had been normal and ordinary for a while before Seiji had the sudden knowledge that he had to leave. Something bad was coming and Seiji had to fight it. More frightening than Seiji's sudden insight was that Ryou had felt the same thing and was so upset by it that he'd spent a whole night pacing in the back garden. Xiu had come running over to talk to Seiji about the disturbing feeling. Shin and Touma had shown up a short while later. They only lasted about a day before the compulsion to find the approaching threat got to be too much and they all left together. That was how they'd ended up in Toyama and met Nasutei and fought Arago's soldiers.

The rest was history.

Now, after the war, they still stayed in Nasutei's home and Seiji felt no need to leave. True, he did want to go back to grandfather Date and take care of the last of his family, but it felt right and comfortable to be with the other's. There just wasn't enough room at the dojo for everyone to live there and Seiji wouldn't think of asking such a thing from his grandfather. It would be too much of an imposition. Nasutei's mansion held everyone nicely with plenty of space for everyone to stretch out.

"Of course you can stay." Nasutei had told them with her warm smile. "You're all my boys. I'd hate to see any of you leave. There's really no reason for you to go anywhere, is there? My family has businesses all over the world. Money isn't really an issue. After all you've done to save the world, I think you deserve a bit of pampering." She'd said it all so lightly when Touma had brought up the subject of going home, but she hadn't tired to dissuade them. She was keeping Jun as her heir, but had never really explained what Jun's parents thought about it. Seiji supposed that they must have agreed to it, for whatever reason. Nasty was a lady, she wasn't the type to kidnap a child.

'But why? Jun's a good kid. Why would his parents give him up? He doesn't seem unhappy about the whole situation. Quite the contrary. He's as happy as ever. Maybe they died and Nasty didn't tell us. No. She'd have told Jun and he hasn't been at all sad or angry. I'll talk to Nasty in the morning.' He'd meant to talk to her about Jun several other times, but every time he tired to start the conversation, she'd managed to change the subject.

Still, Seiji couldn't fall asleep. Even without Ryou's nightmare and the argument between Touma and Shin, he couldn't seem to rest his mind. There was something tickling at the back of his mind, like he was trying to remind himself of something. When Xiu finally slipped into sleep, snoring softly, Seiji got out of bed.

He thought only to get a drink, but when he passed Ryou's room, the door was open and Seiji couldn't help but look in. There, at the side of Ryou's bed, was a figure standing in the darkness. "Hey!" Seiji barked

The person looked at him sharply, but the room was so dark that Seiji couldn't make out the person's face. In fact, he couldn't quite tell if it was a man or a woman. The way the person was standing was odd to say the least. Tall and muscular, the person was slightly hunched over with legs that seemed to bend the wrong way, like the back legs of a horse they bent forward instead of backwards. The shape of the head looked entirely wrong the way it moved when it looked at Seiji.

'Danger.' Seiji's instinct warned him. 'Not human. Dangerous.' Whatever it was, wasn't a demon or anything from the Youja Kai. It was natural, a creature of Earth. But Seiji felt nearly frozen just looking at it's silhouette against the moonlit window. Fear. He was afraid. 'Get away. Have to get away.' But Ryou was laying there, helplessly asleep. He couldn't abandon Ryou.

"You shouldn't be here." The creature said in a whispered voice. There was something wrong about the way it spoke. As if the mouth weren't made for speaking any human language. "He's alright. You don't have to worry for him so much. I take care of him."

"Who are you?"

"Ah. I forgot. You wouldn't recognize me like this." The figure bent down and reach one very long arm out to touch Ryou's head. "It's better that way. Easier." Again, the figure turned its head to look at Seiji. "I must go speak with Rajura, soon. When it's all arranged, you'll understand better."

"What are you talking about?" Seiji opened his mind, thinking that he could wake Ryou and get him out of reach of whatever that thing was. In just a heartbeat, he could wake the others and…there was a flash of darkness and the figure was gone. "Damn it!" Seiji flipped on the light but it made no difference. The room was empty except for Ryou, still blissfully unaware of his visitor, and Byakuen was sleeping soundly at the foot of Ryou's bed. Seiji frowned and looked around. His eyes went to Byakuen. "Some watch cat you are." But Byakuen didn't so much as twitch a whisker.

Xiu prodded at Seiji's mind. WHAT'S WRONG? YOU'RE AWFUL UPSET.

SOMEONE WAS IN RYOU'S ROOM. IT WASN'T HUMAN. IT'S GONE NOW, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE.

Xiu didn't respond, but Seiji knew he had jumped out of bed and was pausing only to tell Touma and Shin what had happened.

"Ryou, wake up." Seiji shook Ryou's shoulder. He felt badly about waking Ryou out of the first good dream he'd had in a long while, but not badly enough that he'd put Ryou in danger. Who knew what kind of creature this was or how long it had been lurking around Ryou. "Come on. Ryou, wake up."

"What?" Ryou rubbed his eyes and sat up. "It's not time to leave, is it? It's still dark out."

"No. Not yet. Ryou," Seiji paused when he realized Xiu, Touma, and Shin were in the doorway behind him. "Did you know there was someone in here with you?"

Ryou's puzzled, then shocked expression said it all. He hadn't known. Touma and Xiu, without being asked, left the house to search the grounds. If the creature was anywhere nearby, they would find him. Shin quietly slipped away to search the house and make sure Jun and Nasty were alright.

"Are you alright? It didn't hurt you?" Seiji sat at Ryou's side and looked at him closely, but didn't see anything wrong.

"I'm fine. Are you sure? Yaku-chan would have woken me up. You know how he gets."

"Your cat might as well have been a rock. He slept through it all." Of course, Seiji hadn't actually seen Byakuen, but he'd been busy watching the stranger. Byakuen must have been sleeping while it had been going on. "Whatever it was wasn't human. It said something about talking to Rajura. It's connected to the Youja Kai."

Ryou took that in grimly. "Rajura's not our enemy anymore, right? Maybe it didn't mean any harm."

"Anyone who sneaks into your bedroom at night and just watches you doesn't mean any good." Ryou knew that, Seiji was sure. Ryou knew the darker side of humanity better than almost anyone. It was just wishful thinking that had made him say what he had. If Rajura was working against them, then it could very well mean that the wars would start again.

"But it didn't do anything?"

"It said I shouldn't worry so much. It said it takes care of you."

The creature was not found that night. Touma and Xiu returned a few hours later and reported that they'd seen nothing. No tracks or signs that anything unusual had been near the house. Shin didn't find anything in the house to show that the stranger had broken in, no broken windows or locks. The idea of leaving Jun and Nasty alone for a week became much less appealing.

"We'll be fine." Nasutei assured Seiji when everyone had gathered uneasily in Ryou's bedroom. Nasutei sat on Ryou's bed with Jun on her lap and though she looked worried, Seiji had thought that she would be more worried to know there had been a demon - or whatever it was - in her home. Maybe she was getting used to paranormal visitors. "Whatever it is seems to be interested in Ryou, so, if anything, it'll follow him." She bit her bottom lip and frowned at Ryou. "Will you think I'm a coward if I say Jun and I should stay here?"

"Of course not. That's smart." Ryou went to the window and looked out again for the upteenth time. "You'd be in more danger if you went with us."

"They can't stay here alone. What if it's some kind of trick. The demon could come back and find them all alone and vulnerable." Touma protested. "One of us should stay."

Jun burst out, "We won't be alone! Yaku-chan can stay and protect us!" He waved his fist in the air and grinned bravely. "I'll protect neesan, too!" How like him to want to play hero at the first chance.

Ryou, though, seemed satisfied and agreed that Byakuen would be the best protection he could give Nasutei and Jun. When the thing returned, if it returned, they would be ready for it.

'The trip home looks more dangerous, now. We'll all be separated and Xiu's going to be all alone. Maybe we should cancel this vacation.' Seiji was distinctly unhappy with the way things were working out. "Slight change of plans, guys." Seiji said in what he hoped was a no nonsense kind of voice. "We'll all go visit our families, but we get back together at night. I don't like this. Everyone can come to grandfather's place. There's plenty of room to sleep in the dojo and its in walking distance from both Shin's place and the Phoenix Rising."

With thoughts of the elusive, skulking thing fresh in their minds, no one argued.

They all went back to bed though, for safety's sake, Ryou went to spend the night on the floor of the room Touma and Shin shared. If nothing else, Seiji reflected, it should stop them from arguing all night long. Nasutei went back to her room and Xiu went to make sure everything was locked up. It left Seiji alone in the hallway with Jun.

"You don't look happy." There was something about Jun's eyes that struck Seiji as being wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. "Are you scared of the thing watching Ryou?"

"A little. I'd just like to know what it was and why they were watching him. Don't worry too much. You'll be safe with Byakuen." Seiji smiled and held a hand out to Jun which the boy took without hesitation. "Nasty's going to be upset if you don't get enough sleep. Are you afraid to sleep on your own?"

Jun didn't answer for a moment. He looked at Seiji with such a serious expression that it looked far out of place on his face. Seiji thought that it must have been the war that did it to Jun. War had such a terrible effect on anyone, but an impressionable, vulnerable child like Jun having to go through not only a war, but a war involving demons. After a moment, the grim expression was replaced by a smile. "It's okay. I'm not afraid and I'm not very tired. Do you really think it was a demon? Will the war start again?"

"I hope not. It was hard enough the first time around. Let's get you back to bed, though. Wouldn't want to worry Nasty."

They walked back to Jun's room, hand-in-hand, and Seiji went in to tuck him into bed. He remembered being Jun's age and liking it when someone would tuck him in. Back then, it had been his father who'd tucked him in and read him stories at night. That thought made Seiji hesitate. 'Gone. It's better this way. He wasn't going to get better. And I'm NOT going to go mad. It won't happen to me.'

Jun's room was strangely empty. If it weren't for the skateboard in the corner, one wouldn't guess that a child lived there. It wasn't that Jun was especially tidy, but the war had only ended two days ago. Jun had nothing and what he did have was probably still at his parent's house. Would they be sending it to him or would Nasty just buy him new things? Come to think of it, how had Nasutei arranged all that in just two days? One day, really. She'd told them about taking custody of Jun the day before.

"Sit with me. What are you thinking?" When Seiji sat, Jun stroked the back of Seiji's hand where it rested on Seiji's lap. His little hands were cold so Seiji folded Jun's hands up in his own.

"About you." When Seiji bent over to give Jun a kiss goodnight the wooden pentacle he always wore fell out from under his pajama shirt, just missing Jun's face by an inch or so.

"Why do you wear that?" Jun asked, after getting his kiss on the forehead. He gestured to the pentacle, but didn't touch it.

"Because."

"That's not a real answer."

"It's good enough for me and I'm the one wearing it. Jun, can you tell me something?"

"Sure."

It was with great trepidation that Seiji spoke. He wasn't even sure he should be talking to Jun about this sort of thing with Jun. "Why aren't you going home to your parents? I know you like Nasty, but you must want to go home. All this time in the war, you stayed with us to find them."

"I love Nasty. I want to always stay with her. I want to stay here and my parents think it's fine. They trust oneesan. That's something you shouldn't worry about. Don't even think about it anymore."

And he didn't. Seiji shook his head. He had the strange feeling that he was forgetting something, but he didn't know what.

"You're sure you're coming back, right?"

Seiji thought it was cute how worried Jun looked and immediately dismissed the idea that he was forgetting something. If it was important, he'd remember it later. "Right. Nasty's going to let us rent out our rooms and there's a good high school not too far from here." That had been a major decision made by Seiji and Xiu for the sake of the others. Going back to high school at Hana high was out of the question. Touma and Shin had a horrible reputation ever since the day when Shin had been arrested and then Touma had stood trial for what had happened to his dad. They didn't need to have everyone whispering behind their backs and staring. As for Ryou, he'd had enough troubles, especially with Akira. He'd told Seiji all about that time when Akira and his little cronies had ganged up and surrounded him just outside the school. That was the day that Xiu had carried Ryou back to Seiji's house because…

Because what? Ryou hadn't been beaten. In fact, Akira hadn't even been around when Seiji had found Ryou. Ryou's neck had been hurt. There had been a lot of blood.

"You look like you're thinking hard." Jun put both hands around Seiji's wrist and the grim look was there, again. "Is it about me, again?"

"No. About Ryou. It's nothing you should worry about. Just…" Just pieces of the puzzle not fitting together properly. Akira hadn't been there. It was someone else who'd hurt Ryou. But the wound had healed up over night, a wound that should have needed care at a hospital. He should have at least needed stitches. The other man…Seiji had been angry. He was sure…he'd done something bad to Ryou. He'd hurt Ryou. Seiji had gone into Ryou's mind and fought…there had been someone else there and Seiji had fought a battle inside Ryou's fragile mind. How much damage had he done?

"It's alright." Jun looked at Seiji when he spoke with something very un-child-like in his voice. "You mustn't worry. Everything's okay."

And it was.

Seiji smiled back. He couldn't even remember what it was that he'd been worrying about.

He went back to the room he and Xiu shared, fully expecting to get a few good hours of sleep in before morning. He didn't expect to find Shin sitting on his bed having a little heart to heart with Xiu. Shin stopped talking the moment he realized Seiji was in the room

There was a moment when no one said anything. Shin was scowling at the world around him and Xiu shrugged, apologetically. Seiji sighed and turned around. "I think I'll go see Touma and Ryou for a minute. Let me know when you're done." He didn't begrudge Xiu and Shin their friendship, they'd known each other much longer than Seiji had known either of them. Still, if Shin needed someone to gripe to, he wished it could wait till morning.

HE DOESN'T DO IT OFTEN. Xiu said, keeping his mental voice focused enough so only Seiji would hear him. IT'S IMPORTANT. GO TALK TO TOUMA AND TRY TO CALM HIM DOWN.

THAT'S WHERE I WAS GOING, ANYWAY. He found Touma in bed, covered up to his chin and seemingly sound asleep. Ryou was curled up on the floor on a pile of spare blankets facing the wall. He, too, was awake, but determined to interfere in what Seiji was going to do. DID YOU TALK TO HIM?

I TRIED. Ryou answered. YOU'RE BETTER AT THIS THAN I AM. HE WOULDN'T TALK TO ME.

Seiji flipped on the light switch on and sat on Shin's bed. "At least open your eyes. You know I'm here."

"Go away."

"Nope. My bed's occupied, so I'm borrowing Shin's. Talk."

"I don't want to."

"Do it anyway. Your spat's keeping me from sleep, at least tell me what it's all about."

SHIN'S BEING HIS NORMAL, OVER PROTECTIVE SELF, THAT'S ALL. He opened his eyes and looked ready to fight. "I'm going back to Sendai. I want to visit dad. When I told Shin, he…well, you know how he gets."

Seiji rolled his eyes, imagining the scene. If Shin hadn't started yelling, it would have been a miracle. "Have you called Shin's moms? You'll need an adult to let you into the hospital. I know that from experience. Not that I ever tried to go on my own, but they give you a big list of rules every time you visit."

"Shin's mom called us, just before you said you wanted to go back and visit your grandfather. It's the perfect opportunity. Shin can visit his moms and I can take a bus to the hospital. I know he wants to go home, he told me so. It's not like he has to go to the hospital with me."

Shin walked in and sat beside Seiji. "Sorry. I'm done with Xiu. What time did you want to leave in the morning? We have lots to do in Sendai. Business to take care of." He smiled sweetly at Touma. It was a peace offering, clearly enough. Whatever Xiu had said to Shin had worked.

Touma looked at Shin suspiciously, as if he expected Shin to be trying to trick him, but ended up smiling back. "Maybe we can pick up a present for your moms before we get there. It's been a long while since we've seen them." And the peace offering was accepted.

"We're leaving sharp at eight." Seiji reminded them. "Get up on time or I'll have Xiu drag you out." THINK YOU CAN SLEEP NOW, RYOU?

YUP. HOW DID YOU DO THAT? HE WOULDN'T EVEN OPEN HIS MOUTH WHEN I TRIED.

IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO NICE. YOU ASK. I DEMAND. IN THE END, TOUMA WOULD RATHER NOT TELL US HIS TROUBLES, ANYWAY. HE'D RATHER TELL SHIN, BUT THAT'S A LITTLE HARD WHEN THE PROBLEM IS SHIN. GOOD NIGHT.

NIGHT.

The next morning-  
Ryou-

The only one who'd had to be woken up was Ryou and even then he complained that they'd waken him out of another fantastic dream, though he wouldn't tell them any details and blushed when Touma had asked. He wasn't about to tell them that the best dream he'd ever had was of a mysterious man chasing him down and catching him. It was just too private to tell anyone. After Seiji had woken him up in the middle of the night, Ryou had gotten back to sleep easily enough and dreamed again. It wasn't the same dream and wasn't nearly so vivid, but the arms holding him and the voice were the same.

Xiu had no sympathy for him. "Come on. We leave in a half an hour. If you want breakfast, better get moving. Seiji hates being late, so he might not even wait for you. You'll be walking to Sendai."

There was really only one important thing Ryou needed to take with him and that was already around his neck. The silver chain with the little silver crucifix sister Jo had given him. Ryou never took it off and, besides the sword, Ryoken, it was his most valuable possession.

The Ryoken was safely hidden under Ryou's bed Ryou had used when he'd lived at Seiji's house. That was his main reason for going back to Sendai. Well, that and to visit Seiji's grandfather. 'My granpa, too.' That was a weird thought. Ryou had never really considered having a grandfather before, let alone one like grandfather Date. The stiff, formal old man was as dignified a gentleman as Ryou had ever met. Where else could Ryou have left the Ryoken but at grandfather Date's house? He couldn't bring the precious thing into battle, after all. 'I'll have to start looking for its mate.' Ryou thought as he got dressed. He hadn't even looked at the Ryoken since the war had started and had only just started thinking that he should try honoring the wishes of his mom and granma - to find the other Ryoken.

Fully dressed and ready for the day, Ryou slipped the crucifix under his t-shirt and stopped a moment to scratch Byakuen's head. "You be good, okay? Look after Nasty and Jun." The intruder from the previous night was heavy on everyone's mind, though no one had mentioned it. For the first time in his life, Ryou found himself hoping that the thing would follow him. After all, he wouldn't want Byakuen have to fight it all alone.

While everyone finished packing the rest of the things they'd need, Ryou spoke to Nasty about the stubborn tiger. He found her outside with the others around Seiji's car, double checking that they had everything. "Do you mind? I think Yaku-chan wants to stay here. He won't be any trouble. He'll hunt in the forest and he's house trained."

Nasty laughed. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Well, I think that's everything." She put a bag of snacks and drinks in the backseat and looked at the packed car critically. "Do you think you'll be gone longer than a week?"

"Shouldn't be." Seiji ran a hand through his hair and looked around. "We'll call when we get there, so you don't have to worry. I can't think of anything we've forgotten."

It went on like this with people running in and out of the house for this or that or taking things out of the car that they'd decided they really didn't need after all. Ryou found himself sitting on the front step with Nasty and only realized after a moment that Nasty was looking at him strangely. There was something odd in her eyes.

"You aren't mad that we're leaving, are you? You can come with us if you like." The last thing he wanted her to think was that she was unwanted. She'd done so much for them, if she wanted to come along, he figured that she deserved it. "Maybe it will be safer. If the demon doesn't follow me, then it might come back here and we won't be close enough to help you. If you come, we can be sure you'll be protected."

"That's sweet." The something odd in Nasty's eyes vanished when she spoke and she was just the same as she'd always been. "But I don't think Seiji's car will hold more than five people. No. I'll stay here with Jun. Now that we don't have to worry about the war, there are a few things that need to get done. Someone I need to talk to."

"And Jun? You think he's okay with this? You know he likes to tag along."

Nasty found that so funny that she laughed, again. "I think he'll be just fine. There's something he wants to do, too."

"Yeah, what?"

"Oh, probably just wants to collect pollywogs at the lake. You know boys."

"Are you sure?" Ryou asked, doubtfully.

Nasutei smiled cheerfully. "Of course I'm sure. Jun has a pile of homework to catch up on, if nothing else, and you boys need a vacation without us around. I'm sure you'd like to see your families without Jun underfoot or trying to explain why you're living with an older woman."

"They already know about that." Seiji, passing by with a suitcase in his hands, answered, "That's already explained. You're the landlady and Jun's your nephew. Grandfather doesn't believe me, of course, but at least he doesn't ask too many questions."

"Mom and kaasan don't believe it either, but they ask plenty of questions. I think kaasan's afraid you're some kind of loose woman trying to corrupt me and Touma." Shin winked at Nasutei at the nasty little joke. "Living with an older woman…oh! How scandalous!"

Xiu came out of the house carrying three suitcases. "Mama and papa bought it hook, line, and sinker. Mama wants to meet you, though, Nasty. Don't let papa talk you into any kind of match-making scheme. He SAYS he's okay with me and Seiji, but you know how it is…"

"Yes, yes. I know. Seiji's jealous at the best of times and you'd rip out your own heart before you'd leave him." Nasutei gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "I've heard it all before and I won't let your papa talk me into anything. Have you got everything? Toothbrushes?"

"It's only a week. We'll be back before you can sit down to finish that book you've been wanting to read for the past year." Seiji loaded his suitcase into the trunk of his car and looked at it critically before taking it out. He took out Shin's and Touma's bags and then put his on the bottom with Ryou's on the very top went Xiu's bag. "That should make it easier."

"You're getting anal in your old age." Ryou told him, lightly.

"It's not anal, it's logic. Xiu's getting dropped off first, then Shin and Touma. Last is us. This way we don't have to go digging though everything." Not that any of their bags were very heavy. They hadn't had the chance to get anything before the war started. "I think we're ready. Let's go."

To be continued… 


	5. and you would be Sasaki Kujuurou

Chapter 5: And You Would be Sasaki Kujuurou

Ningen Sekai-  
Anubisu-

Anubisu had gone straight from the Youja Kai to the forest just outside where Ryou lived with the other Troopers. He'd been there for hours, just lurking around and watching the dark house and somehow managed not to feel like a pervert. Of course he WAS a pervert. Would any normal man be lusting after the blood of a boy not old enough to shave?

'Coward,' He called himself. 'A spineless voyeur. What do you think is going to happen? He's not going to magically remember and come running out here.'

Of course he wanted to go to Ryou, but what right did he have? He was the one who had taken Ryou's memory. It was his decision and he hadn't even asked Ryou. Surely, Ryou wouldn't want to be around someone who would play with his mind so casually.

'It's not as if I can give him the memories back. Even if I could, they weren't very nice memories.' That made the dream they'd shared all the more puzzling. Ryou was happy to be with in, in that dream. 'But he didn't know it was me and he didn't know what I'd done to him.' Still…in the dream, Ryou wasn't afraid of him and it certainly didn't seem like he hated Anubisu. 'All I did was take advantage of him. I took his blood. Barely spoke more than a few words to him.'

Anubisu didn't even have a plausible excuse to go to the boy or he would have. If he could have thought of a decent excuse, he'd have already been in the house and at Ryou's side. It was where he really wanted to be.

Anubisu wasn't sure if it was love he felt or not. Whatever Anubisu felt, it was overpowering. He'd never been in love before, so maybe he was wrong about the whole thing. His chest hurt and he couldn't seem to breathe quite right. He couldn't focus on anything but the image of Ryou's face. He felt colder than usual when he thought of Ryou being so close, but so unattainable. He found himself wishing, stupidly, that he'd never taken Ryou's memories.

'Fragments remain. We shared a dream. There's something left. Abraham said I always forgot the details.'

But it wasn't enough. Not really. The slight connection he had with Ryou was tentative, at best. Ryou's dreams were proof that there was a connection, but all Ryou had was vague feelings and he didn't think they were anything more than just dreams. He probably didn't even think of them after he woke.

During the war, Anubisu had know there was something, but there hadn't seemed to be time to follow the thread that would have led him to Ryou. In retrospect, it was probably Rajura's doing. The elder Ma-Sho would have easily noticed if Anubisu was getting too close to discovering his hidden memories and been able to distract him with another marathon day of training or mission.

'That old man.' Anubisu couldn't bring himself to be angry. After all, he was the one who'd asked Rajura to take his memories in the first place. He should be grateful. The reasoning behind separating him and Ryou was sound, even if Anubisu did regret it now that it was no longer necessary. Who knew? If he told Ryou everything, maybe Ryou would hate him even more.

The night came and went and Anubisu kept to his place amongst the trees, watching Ryou and the other Troopers packing a car. They all seemed pleasantly unaware that they were being watched or that they were sharing a house with two vampires.

He could feel his mother inside the mansion and he saw Abraham sitting on the front steps of the house, but he didn't reveal himself. It was one of the benefits of being dhampire that he could control whether others of his bloodline could sense him. With vampires, their sires could sense them whether they willed it or not. It wasn't that he didn't want to see them, exactly. It was more to the point that he was worried about them. It was too much of a coincidence that they'd allied themselves with the Troopers.

'Mother and Abraham saw me many times. Why did they never say anything?

That was just another detail to worry about. He knew, without a doubt that his mother and Abraham were with the Troopers, but he didn't know why. Vampires and demons didn't generally have much to do with each other, so how did they even know about the war that was to start. Why else would they be with the Troopers if not to protect them? It was enough to make Anubisu laugh. To think that his dear, vicious, sweet mother was playing the part of a such a common woman as he'd seen during the war. That she'd let herself be taken captive just to play her part properly was amazing. That Abraham had so convincingly masqueraded as an ordinary little boy was even more incredible.

There was Ryou, laughing with that great ox, Kongo. Just looking at him made Anubisu thirst for his blood, again. The spicy fire Anubisu remembered was temptingly close. Ryou was so close, but Anubisu couldn't touch him. Oh, it was entirely possible to just walk over there and say good morning, but only if he wanted to find himself at the end of Korin's blade. Korin, Anubisu remembered, had no sense of humor. Their first meeting had not been a pleasant one.

It had been the second time Anubisu had tasted Ryou's blood. He hadn't been able to stay away, not after that first taste. Ryou had been cornered by thugs and one had dared to lay hands on him. It must have been his mother's territorial streak showing through, but Anubisu found it extremely offensive that some half-wit brat was hurting Ryou. No. It was more than just offense. It was a desecration. If Ryou had been willing, perhaps it would have been different. As it was, Anubisu had chased off the brats with nothing more than a broken hand. Quite merciful, in Anubisu's opinion.

Korin had appeared in the middle of Anubisu feeding from Ryou and caused enough damage that Anubisu had to retreat for fear of damaging Ryou permanently. The mind was such a delicate thing and to have another person in it was traumatic. To have two people in one's mind could destroy it. Anubisu was to blame. He should have realized that a bond was forming between them. It was quite unlike the bond Ansubisu enjoyed with his brothers or the one Ryou shared with the Troopers. This bond wasn't formed by the yoroi, but by Anubisu's nature and the blood he'd taken from Ryou.

Why hadn't Anubisu formed a bond with anyone else in the past hundreds of years he'd been feeding? Who knew? Maybe it was just one of those unexplained cosmic events, like Jell-o.

'Maybe it was love, like Rajura said. No. It's gotta be something else.'

They finished packing the car and everyone drove away. Everyone but Anubisu's mother and Abraham along with that tiger Ryou liked to associate with. They all went back into the mansion and Anubisu turned to leave. It would have been the perfect time to reveal himself to his mother and grandsire, but for the life of him, Anubisu couldn't think what he should say to them. He hadn't spoken to them in such a long time that he feared they were angry with him. It wasn't really his mother that Anubisu worried about, it was Abraham. Anubisu had always been uncomfortable with Abraham and as he'd gotten older and Abraham's affection had grown, Anubisu became more uncomfortable. If that affection turned to anger, Anubisu wasn't sure he wanted to face Abraham.

'Enough thinking. This isn't like me.' He looked up disapprovingly at the bright blue sky and sun. 'I hate hunting in the day. There's no privacy. Maybe Naaza will let me feed.' His mind flashed to Sh'ten's eager begging for it. How Sh'ten would sneak into his room before Anubisu had awoken just so he could experience Anubisu's first waking hunger. He missed his little brother.

"And you will be Sasaki Kujuurou, unless I'm much mistaken, which I doubt."

Anubisu heard his true name spoken so casually that, at first, he wasn't sure he'd heard it at all. It was enough to make him stop walking, but he didn't turn around right away. Maybe it was only his mind playing tricks on him again. No one but Rajura and Naaza knew his true name, he hadn't even told little Kayura, yet. Whoever stood behind him couldn't know, not unless they were more than several hundred years old and that wasn't likely.

Anubisu turned and found that there was someone standing just behind him, looking up at him with very large, bulbous eyes. It certainly wasn't human, but other than that Anubisu had no clue. He ruled out demon almost at once. The...well...person, for lack of a better word, was very small, almost like a child. Wild brown hair darted in all directions and, though he was dressed as a human, it was obvious that he wasn't one. His eyes were just...wrong. Far too large for a human and they shone in the moonlight, like an animal's eyes.

"Yes." The little man nodded sharply. "You are Kujuurou. You're a hard person to find. Still, there aren't many dhampires. That narrows it down a lot. I've been looking for you."

There was almost no one who could catch Anubisu unaware, with the exception of Rajura and, on rare occasions, Naaza. Now, this could either mean that the little creature was a formidable new enemy or that Anubisu was vast need of retraining. Anubisu took a deep breath in through his nose and began to cipher through all the scents. Amongst the familiar scents, like earth and water, Anubisu caught something completely alien. He'd never smelled anything so vastly unearthly.

"Aren't you even going to talk to me? How terribly rude." The little creature smiled broadly, showing off rows of tiny, needle-like teeth. "And I came all this way to find you."

"I don't think we've been introduced." Anubisu commented while he examined the person. In all honesty, he couldn't even properly decide if it was male or female and only decided on male because the chest was very flat.

"No, we haven't." The small man stepped closer until he reached Anubisu and stared up at him, all the time never breaking eye contact. He was very small, the top of his head reaching only Anubisu's waist. His feet were bare and his toenails were strangely long and pointed, almost like talons. "I'm here to ask a favor, Kujuurou. A very small thing. Just a little information You can make out quite profitably."

"What are you?" As if he needed anything in his position. "You've made a mistake, you know. My name's Anubisu. I don't know any Kujuurou." He wasn't about to even mention the word: dhampire. His training at Abraham's court had instilled one very important lesson. One never spoke of vampires to outsiders. It was too dangerous. If anyone were to start believing again, the vampires would be in grave danger. No pun intended.

Bion rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself. Whatever your name is, the Lady-Queen has need of you and requests your assistance."

"You didn't answer. What are you?"

"I forget how rarely my people venture to this place, anymore. Of course you wouldn't recognize me, not even you who have lived for hundreds of years. I'm an imp and you may call me Bion, if it's a name you're looking for. Not that it makes any difference, one way or the other." His eyes took on a cunning gleam and he looked more threatening than any demon Anubisu had ever seen. "Be of good cheer, dhampire. You have a grand opportunity. Such a small thing the Lady-Queen wants and only you can give it to her."

"And what might that be?" Anubisu was rapidly loosing patience with this conversation.  
"A man I've been hunting for many years. Ari." When Anubisu just looked at him blankly, he said, "You would know him better as Kuroda Jirougorou. I believe he goes by that name. Or maybe he's changed it. A small human with white hair and a missing eye. He's a powerful prophet."

Anubisu's eyes turned away from Bion and he laughed. Now what could Rajura have gotten himself into? "Have you finished? I'm done with this. If he's done something to upset you or this Lady-Queen of yours, take it up with him. I'm too busy to play go-between."

"You don't seem to understand the finer points of this offer. My Lady can offer you so much. Wealth."

"I live in a palace, have unlimited servants, food, and clothing. I have no need of money."

"Power."

"There are few creatures on this planet who could match my power."

"Women."

Anubisu just rolled his eyes at that absurd suggestion.

"Men, then. If you prefer."

"My playmates get jealous very easily. I have more than I can contend with at the moment, anyway."

"Or, perhaps, you'd like freedom from your insatiable hunger."

"What?"

"The Lady-Queen can forever erase your hunger that forces you to feed off the living. Surely, that must appeal to you." The way he spoke made Anubisu think that this was Bion's trump card. How long had this Bion creature been watching him? Long enough to see that he hunted. So what else had he seen? "Freedom from the insatiable hunger for blood. Isn't that worth something to you?"

"You haven't got anything that interests me. Don't worry, I'll tell Ari you're looking for him. If he's interested, I'm sure he'll find a way to contact you." Anubisu was smiling when he turned away from the little creature, but the smile vanished as soon as his back was turned. There were so many things to worry about, lately. Why did Rajura's problems suddenly have to jump right up and kick him in the face?

Bion-

It was interesting, Bion thought as he watched the dhampire leisurely stroll away into the depths of the forest. That one who was Kujuurou but called himself Anubisu. 'He knows Ari. The way he spoke shows that he knows Ari, not that he once knew him. That means that Ari still lives. Strange.'

Ari was either a remarkable human to have lived for so many centuries or he wasn't human at all. Bion was rather leaning towards the latter. With a dhampire as a companion, it was entirely possible that Ari had been made into something like a vampire himself. True, it was said that dhampires lacked the ability to reproduce either as humans or as vampires, but Kujuurou could easily have brought Ari to his master and had the master vampire change him into a vampire. That was likely.

'But if is vampire, he must have been one for many centuries. The fae would have learned of him long before now. The Lady-Queen wouldn't have sent me a fools mission if she knew where her Ari was. My fees are too high for that kind of waste, even for her. So, I can reasonably judge that Ari has not been turned into a vampire, but that he does still live. Kujuurou knows where Ari is, but won't tell. Won't willingly tell.' There was a difference. 'I need what Kujuurou wants.'

Bion turned to face the large house he knew Kujuurou had been watching all night and most of the morning. He knew because he'd been watching Kujuurou even since he'd appeared from wherever it was he'd been hiding. Another interesting fact. Bion knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he could find anything. That was how he'd earned his reputation. HE could find anything, anyone, anywhere on the planet. Yet he could not find Ari, who was apparently still alive, and he couldn't find the dhampire, who had mysteriously appeared.

'Ari must be alive. I can find no bones and those surely would have been left if he'd died. He must be alive. Kujuurou knows where he is. I need bait. Something to encourage Kujuurou to tell me what he knows." Biyon knew that two vampires and one of the dreaded wyrms lived in the large house, yonder. He also knew that they were not the reason why Kujuurou had been lurking around the house. His eyes had ever been fixated on a dark-skinned boy with dark hair. Kujuurou had watched that boy very carefully.

A smile slid across Bion's lips as he considered the implications. 'Human. Relatively defenseless. Small. Somehow important to Kujuurou. Yes. Sanada Ryou will do quite nicely. Now all I have to do is get my bait.'

In the Youja Kai-  
Anubisu-

Anubisu chuckled when he arrived home, his appetite, if not his curiosity, sated. All through the long hunt he'd thought about Bion and how could he possibly know Rajura's true name? What was a Lady-Queen? Though it would have been easier to do as he'd planned and just gone home and asked one of his brothers for a feed, Anubisu had stayed in the Ningen Sekai to think. His time hunting did him no good. He could find no answers and no blood he found was a match for Ryou's fire. He couldn't imaging any creature besides demons that could live long enough to know Rajura's true name and Bion certainly hadn't been a demon. The only solution was to ask Rajura.

Before he even entered the palace, Anubisu stopped walking. He hadn't expected to find Kayura in the courtyard looking like a lost waif, staring down at her reflection in the water of the fountain. The fountain was old, but sturdy. A short stone wall with enough water for just a few feet of water and a couple of fish. There wasn't much point in the fountain, but it was pretty and Rajura did like pretty things.

Kayura shouldn't have looked like a waif. Her hair was perfectly styled and shining from brushing, her clothes were immaculate. She moved with practiced elegance and grace. Something about her pale, little face as she walked around the water fountain just looked lost. She looked very small and frail. She didn't seem to notice Anubisu when she sat on the raised stone wall of the fountain.

Anubisu considered, for a moment, passing her by. Something in the way she sat, so still and hunched over, made him pause. He wasn't entirely heartless, after all. And he knew, from the slight touch of her mind that he'd allowed, that she was having a hard time of it. Rajura wasn't exactly helping matters, strangely enough. Naaza wouldn't be bothered unless she went to him and deliberately asked for help. Naaza was like that.

"You look bored." Anubisu plopped himself down on the edge of the stone fountain next to Kayura.

"I'm just…thinking." Kayura didn't even look up at him.

"Better not. That only leads to trouble."

"Rajura-san would disagree."

"Yeah. He would." They would get nowhere like that. TELL ME YOUR PROBLEMS, GIRL. He let his mind slide open and got the full force of Kayura's untrained mind reaching out for contact. It made his stomach turn for a moment before he got used to it. She'd been living in the Youja Kai for all these years and Arago had never encouraged any of them to teach her use her mind properly. It was a shame. Now her mind had been reaching out for two days, trying to find something when she didn't fully understand what it was she was looking for. Now that Anubisu had let her in, he felt her invasive touch like the proverbial bull in a china shop. EASY. EASY. I'M NOT USED TO THIS, JUST TAKE IT EASY. He tried to soothe her mind, but he'd never had to do this before. This was Rjaura's responsibility.

"I'm sorry." It surprised Anubisu that she spoke verbally. Given her first chance at a mental connection, he would have thought that she'd jump at the chance. "I'm not used to it." Almost at once, her touched pulled away. Anubisu didn't try to stop her. At last, though, she looked up at him. "Anubisu-san, what was Sh'ten-san like?"

Now there was a surprise question. "Well, for one thing, he'd probably fly into a tizzy if he heard you calling him 'san'. He didn't have much respect for respect, if you know what I mean."

Kayura looked back down at her reflection, a troubled look on her face. "There must be more than that. You all love him so much."

It wasn't hard to see where this was heading. Kayura wasn't proficient at shielding. It was like trying to block out sunlight with tissue paper. Her loneliness and feelings of unworthiness were suffocating. It was bad for him, who was only experiencing it second-hand. How bad was it for Kayura?

'JURA! Anubisu called out, securing his thoughts from Kayura for just a moment. YOU OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED. DIDN'T YOU TELL HER ANYTHING ABOUT 'TEN-CHAN?

SHE DIDN'T ASK ME.

I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY. Anubisu crossly pulled his mind away from Rajura. They were all grieving. That was no reason to neglect Kayura, no matter how awkward it made them all feel. "Sh'ten was a brat. I know you don't remember anything, but…"

"But I DO remember." Kayura interrupted, desperately. "I remember everything."

Anubisu felt the blood drain from his head. "You do?"

"I killed him. I liked it. I LIKED killing him!" Her voice, which had been calm, was verging on hysteria. "I was so happy to kill. Those other boys, the Troopers, I wanted to kill them very badly. I tried so hard. Every time I made them bleed, every time they screamed in pain, I liked it! I wanted more." Her eyes were very wide and she leaned in closer to Anubisu and whispered, "I still want to."

"Just like Sh'ten." Anubisu commented almost without thinking.

Kayura looked at him sharply. Anubisu saw it, then. She was troubled and sad. Such vast despair that it threatened to devour her, but she wasn't giving in. Her eyes were strong, though there were unshed tears in them. "So what? You can't tell me that I felt that way because I inherited his yoroi. That was all before he…died." Her defiant voice failed her at that last word. She was afraid of Anubisu's reaction and well she should be. His temper was terrible. This once, though, he bit his tongue and waited for a moment.

"Sh'ten's tastes were part of his personality. He had those kind of hobbies long before the Oni yoroi claimed him. Rajura had watched him for a long while before that day when he realized who it was that the yoroi would claim He knew about Ten-chan's pain fixation. I don't think something like that can transfer. But I don't think it was you who liked doing all that hurting. You were possessed. I expect it was Badamon." Then he shrugged. "I'm probably wrong. Never did understand all the ins and outs of this stuff. Sh'ten wouldn't have blamed you, if that's what's worrying you." He smiled, nostalgically. "If anything, I expect he enjoyed his death."

"That's an awful thing to say!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean it isn't a lie. He never really wanted death, I'll admit to that. He was too enamored with life. What I mean to say is that I expect he enjoyed the pain of death." Anubisu frowned at her stricken expression. "I'm not helping, am I?"

"Not much, no."

"You wanted to know about Sh'ten? I'll tell you he was a good boy, sometimes, and very smart. He was more intelligent than even Rajura. He was always either writing or reading. He sent me out to the Ningen Sekai to get books. Anything he could read was fair game. He'd shut himself up for days in his chambers scribbling away at his desk, making rolls of parchments and filling empty books with one thing or another. He was vain as a peacock, too. Always brushing that long red hair of his." Anubisu missed that red hair. "He'd sit in front of his mirror for hours and he'd get so angry if it got tangled." Sometimes, Sh'ten would let Anubisu brush his hair for him and what a wonderfully sensual experience that had been.

Naaza-

"Anubisu has a big mouth." Naaza commented. It was the first time he'd spoken to Rajura since the truth came to light. It had been his idea to have Rajura hide his memory to protect Anubisu. He had no right to feel bitter, yet he did.

Rajura didn't move from his place by the fire. He didn't so much as look up at Naaza.

"Why didn't you reach out to Kayura? It's because of Sh'ten, I know, but it wasn't her fault."

Still, Rajura stared into the fire. It was odd to see Rajura so still, but not unheard of. His one eye was unfocused and had a sort of distant look, as if Rajura were thinking very heavily abut something.

Naaza sighed and strolled into the room. "Another vision, huh?" Rajura sometimes went like this. Visions of what was to come flashed into his mind and he wouldn't be able to function until they were over. More like a curse than a gift, if one were to ask Naaza. It was why Rajura had never pressed to be general of the Ma-Sho. As eldest it wouldn't have been unthinkable for Rajura to want the position. He was a superb fighter and a master strategist, but if a vision were to strike in the middle of a battle, he would be doomed. "Stupid old man." Naaza slid down to sit next to Rajura and watched his face, carefully for signs that he was waking from the vision. "You took on the position of teacher. Weren't you even a bit proud that we called you our mother? You won't get that from Kayura if you don't stop mopping." Naaza reached out and stroked a finger across Rajura's cheek, just under his black eye patch. "You think too much. What's it going to get you except a headache?"

Rajura didn't so much as blink. Naaza knew from experience that if he were to hit Rajura, Rajura wouldn't even remember it when the vision ended. What a sad state they were. So much for the glorious Ma-Sho, the lords of the Youja Kai. One dead. One child. One love-sick. One slave to visions. "And me. We're a joke, you know that, don't you? Maybe Anubisu has the right idea. I wouldn't mind going back to the Ningen Sekai just for a full day of laying in the sun. It's never sunny here. Of course if I do, you know what'll happen." It was something Naaza didn't like thinking about. "Besides, there'll be humans everywhere. It's gotten worse since I left the Ningen Sekai. They're like a plague. I don't think I could deal with the smell and all that noise would drive me mad."

There was a split second change in Rajura that Naaza almost missed. Rajura blinked and took a single deep breath. "Forgive me." Rajura said, turning to Naaza. "I didn't notice you come in."

"Obviously. So, what did you see?"

"Nothing you'd be interested in." He paused and Naaza felt Rajura's mind reach out. "How's Anubisu holding up?"

"All things considered, pretty well. He was peeping on that boy and now he's taking over your job. How's it feel to be an incompetent?"

"Be silent."

"No," Naaza moved a bit closer and hooked his long fingernails into the fabric of Rajura's robe and gave it a little tug. "I don't think I will. You'll have to deal with her sooner or later. Better sooner, I say."

"Since when have you started giving out advice on human relationships?"

"What's this got to do with humans?" Naaza didn't say anything else and lowered himself so his head was resting on Rajura's lap. Rajura always had the softest of laps. They both felt Anubisu coming at the same time. "He took his sweet time with Kayura. Good thing someone is."

Rajura tugged at Naaza's green hair. "Don't try to guilt me into anything. I haven't got a conscience."

"More lies." Naaza rolled slightly to look at Anubisu when he came in, looking unhappy. Naaza extended his arm and snagged Anubisu's hand when he moved to pass.

Anubisu-

When he'd left Kayura, Anubisu thought that she was a little cheered, but he couldn't be certain. Her free flowing emotions were so confused it was hard to tell what was going on in her head. Now that she'd been taken care of, Anubisu supposed that he should talk with Rajura before he retired for the evening.

A tentative reach outwards with his mind found that both Naaza and Rajura were together in the common room. The common room they shared was a comfortably neat place with sitting areas and pillows all over the place. It also let Anubisu brush against Ryou's mind. There was no deep contact, like he had with Naaza and Rajura, but the warmth was pleasant.

"You have an admirer. Actually had someone following me and asked me to hand you over to them. They offered some real good incentives. You're lucky they didn't have anything interesting enough, I'd have sold you in a minute." Anubisu smirked when he walked in to find Naaza nearly laying on Rajura's lap.

Rajura rubbed his one good eye and reached for his eye patch with the other hand while he listened. "Admirer? What are you talking about?"

"He just approached me while I was hunting and offered me money, women and men, and power, if I'd give you up to him. Funny looking little guy. Had the strangest eyes you've ever seen."

"Strange eyes?" Rajura went still and took on a thoughtful expression. "Did he say anything in particular?"

"Only that his Lady-Queen was eager to see you, again. Have you been fooling around in the Ningen Sekai, again? Breaking hearts and wrecking homes?"

"Jealous?"

"Maybe."

Rajura's mind was miles away from the conversations, though, and Anubisu couldn't coax another word out of him for hours.

Ningen Sekai-  
Ryou-

"Look! Look!"

Seiji's hands tightened on the steering wheel and he heaved a sigh that everyone could hear, even with the windows open. "Touma, sit down."

"But…but…look!"

"Yes. I see it. Now sit down. If you get killed with me behind the wheel, I'll never live it down."

The object of Touma's attention, that which made him clutch the back of Seiji's headrest and bounce up and down like a child on an extreme sugar-rush, was a lovely sight. The only rest stop they'd encountered since they'd left Nasutei's mansion. Touma wasn't the only one excited to see it. Xiu's eyes were bulging at the sight Ryou himself felt like he had never seen anything so welcomed.

"Stop!" Touma shouted. He couldn't stop bouncing around and Ryou wondered if he should let Touma have the first turn at the restroom instead of racing for it. The rest stop was tiny, just two gas pumps and a small building. If they had more than one bathroom Ryou would be shocked. "Come on, hurry!"

Seiji's mood wasn't improving. "Xiu, hit him."

"Only if you speed up." Xiu's eyes were glued on the rest stop. He was shifting restlessly in his seat and biting down on his bottom lip. "I KNOW you can drive faster than this. Don't hit any potholes or you'll regret it."

"Keep nagging and I'll slow down." Seiji threatened. It was enough to make Touma let go of the headrest, but not quite enough to stop Shin's low whine of frustration. "Oh, for the love of…" Seiji looked ready to explode. "Not you, too! Shin, you're supposed to be the sensible one of this zoo!"

"Sense goes out the window when nature calls." Shin replied quietly. Since they'd all met, Shin's English accent had all but vanished until he spoke fluent Japanese. "Step on the gas unless you want to face the consequences."

Seiji frowned in the rearview mirror. "Consequences?"

"You have four people in your very expensive car who haven't been to the bathroom for five hours. Do the math."

"You're getting snippy in your old age." Seiji did, however, put his foot down a little harder.

Snippy or not, Ryou knew exactly what the others were thinking. Five hours without a bathroom break was just too much torture. He felt like jumping up and down himself and could only control himself by the thought that Seiji had already asked Ryou to spare with him at the dojo. If he was to irritate Seiji anymore, Ryou worried that Seiji might take it out on him at the dojo. Not that he really thought Seiji would try to hurt him. He just didn't want to take the chance.

Whether or not Ryou would race Touma for the bathroom didn't turn out to be an issue. Touma, who had been sitting in the middle of the backseat, between Ryou and Shin, jumped right over Ryou to get out of the car and charged for the bathroom. He found the door locked, though, and Xiu had already gone to the attendant to get the key. They fought for a moment before Xiu pushed Touma and dashed into the bathroom with a triumphant laugh. Touma wailed in misery. Shin, ever resourceful and not too bogged down with social expectations, whispered something to the attendant, who gave him a funny look, and handed him another key. Shin quickly slipped into the women's restroom.

"Well? Aren't you gong to join the mad dash?" Seiji asked. "Touma could use some company crying, I suppose."

Ryou looked around. They were in the middle on nowhere. The highway was deserted and there was a nice, thick forest. "Nope." Ryou gave Seiji a grin. "I'm going for a walk. Don't leave without me."

"If you take more than twenty minutes, you're walking to Sendai."

The forest was wonderfully quiet with nothing more than the little sounds of small animals creeping around in the fallen leaves. The thought of returning home wasn't as exciting for Ryou as it was to the others, even though he was happy to visit grandfather Date. 'My granpa.' Ryou had to keep reminding himself of that. He had to keep telling himself that he wasn't alone. He had a brother and a granpa. Still, Sendai wasn't really home. Seiji could still think of his grandfather's dojo as home, but Ryou barely knew grandfather Date. He couldn't even think of the cabin in the mountains as home, anymore. The only memories he seemed to have of that were of leaving. Of watching his mom die and being forced to walk away with his hand tightly held in his granma's. Home was, at the moment, Nasutei's house. It was the closest Ryou had. Nothing in Sendai could compare to the safety of Nasutei's home.

What did Sendai have? Hana high school where Akira had threatened Ryou? The shelter he and his granma had lived in for a few weeks before it had been closed down? The street corner where Ryou had prostituted himself for money to take his granma to the hospital? No. The only reason Ryou was going back was that Sendai that held at least one precious memory. It was where granma was buried.

Ryou walked until he was out of sight of the car and then relieved himself.

Life had settled down to being more comfortable than Ryou had ever remembered it. For the first time in a long time, he had a safe, happy home surrounded by people who loved him. There wasn't any fear anymore, except for the fear that Ryou now knew for certain there was a demon world out there and even that was tempered by the fact that Ryou knew the worst of all the demons was vanquished.

There were other, smaller, fears. School, being one of them. The war had only ended a few days ago, so no one had really mentioned it, but Ryou knew the time was coming that they would all have to go back to school. They'd be a year behind, except Touma who could probably move onto the next grade if he pleased. A full year behind and Ryou had already had enough trouble the first time around. He still couldn't read.

'And what happens after school?' Ryou asked himself. 'Everyone else has plans.'

Seiji was going to inherit his family's dojo, that had been decided already. Seiji had spent most of his life training to take over the Date dojo. His skills in fighting were unmatched and, after the war against Arago, he was bound to be unstoppable unless Anubisu happened to drop by.

'That would be a sight.' Ryou smiled at the thought, but something about it didn't seem as funny as he thought it should be. 'Something's nagging at my mind. Oh, well. Not important.' It wasn't just fighting, Seiji had told Ryou. Seiji had to learn more practical things, such as balancing a checkbook and how to advertise to attract prospective students. He had to learn how to take care of a household, especially as it was unlikely that Xiu would have time to do it. Xiu had his own plans.

Though he was still on uneasy speaking terms with his father, Xiu was going to inherit his family restaurant. He hadn't seen his family since the war had begun, but he had called whenever he had the chance. Now that papa Faun was trying to accept Xiu and Seiji's relationship, Xiu would spend more time at home so he could learn the business. Besides that, Xiu, like Seiji, had to work on his business skills. Papa Faun was trying to tempt him to go to a business college for at least two years while mama Faun was tempting Xiu with culinary school.

Touma would be accepted into university, without question, and was planning to study physics. Imagine…physics. Ryou wasn't even sure what physics was. Touma had tried to explain that it was the way things moved, but Ryou didn't understand why that was a science. Things moved. Why study it? Even with all the news and publicity centering around his nearly fatal attack on his father, three colleges and one university had eagerly jumped at the chance to have someone with Touma's outstanding academic record enrolled with them. His invitations to colleges had begun to arrive even before the war had begun.

Shin, as strange as it might have sounded, was planning to study for a degree in psychology. He had been going to therapy for a long while to get off the pills he'd been taking to drown out the sound of the infamous 'voice' that had been talking to him since he was a small child. It wasn't just Shin, they'd all heard the 'voice' at one time or another. The voice of the yoroi, as the time for the war had drawn near, had spoken to them and encouraged them. For whatever reason, Shin's yoroi, Suiko, had started speaking to him when he had been a child and the result of that was years of therapy and drugs. To rid himself of the drugs in his system, Shin had checked into a rehab center. That had been right before the war and almost too late.

That had been more traumatic than Ryou wanted to remember. He'd gone with the others to visit Shin at the rehab center and it hadn't been pretty. It seemed that when the doctors had put Shin on those little pills when everyone had thought he was crazy were fiercely addictive. Before Ryou had met him, Shin had managed to get himself off them, but when Suiko had spoken to Shin again, Shin had desperately taken more of the pills and gotten himself addicted again. Now he'd straightened himself out and wanted to find ways to help people other than drugs.

And for Ryou, college was definitely out of reach. He'd be lucky to get his high school diploma and he knew that any kind of decent job was beyond his abilities. He'd probably get some kind of job as manual labor.

'No point in worrying.' Ryou told himself as he zipped up his pants and got ready to go back to Seiji. 'If nothing else works out, I'll go back to the mountains. Yaku-chan would like that.' Besides, the day was warm and the sky was blue. It wasn't the kind of day to be worrying either about the future or the past.

"Hello."

Ryou jumped, he was so surprised by the voice that spoke behind him. He was even more surprised by what he saw sitting on the low hanging branch of a tree.

"Um...hello." Ryou backed away from the person slightly, not entirely convinced that Rajura wasn't hiding somewhere playing a trick. The Ma-Sho might not be enemies anymore, but they weren't friends, either, and the person looking at him couldn't possibly be human. It was small, like a child, but there wasn't something very adult about its eyes. Ryou had the impression that it was a boy, but he couldn't be certain.

"No need to be afraid." The boy smiled, showing off shining white teeth. They looked a little too white. "I'm not here to hurt you." He never stopped smiling, even when he leapt off the branch he'd been sitting on and landed easily just a few steps in front of Ryou. "I just want to talk."

To Ryou, it looked like a faery was talking to him. Of course, that was stupid. There were no such things as faeries. 'That's what we thought about demons before the Ma-Sho appeared. Turned out demons were real, though, didn't it?'

The boy wasn't as tall as Ryou, which meant he was pretty short, and had curling red hair that tumbled aimlessly over his shoulders. He was dressed as if he'd just gone shopping at the charity shop, but hadn't known what to buy. Now, in the middle of February, he had on striped orange and purple shorts with a blue tank top shirt. He had a rainbow of bracelets on both wrists; dozens of multi-colored plastic bracelets. His ears were pierced as was his bottom lip and his nose. There was something about him that just didn't seem quite real.

"What do you want?" Ryou asked wearily. He was getting a funny feeling that made no sense. This boy didn't look like he was more than thirteen; Ryou shouldn't feel like there was any danger from him. But…its skin was green. Even Naaza hadn't had green skin.

"Just checking up on a lead and I think I've found what I'm looking for. You'd be Ryou, right?" He spoke with a strange accent and Ryou couldn't really tell where he came from. "Sanada Ryou?"

"Yeah. Who are you?" Ryou was sure he'd never seen this boy before.

"No one really important. Tell me, do you know a dhampire called Kujuurou?"

Ryou didn't even know what a dhampire was. "I don't think so."

"Hmmm...that might be a problem."

"Sorry."

The boy frowned and rolled his up towards the sky as he thought for a moment. "Ah. I understand." He smiled brightly and looked back at Ryou. "How about someone named Anubisu? Dark hair and pale skin? Big cross-shaped scar just under one eye?"

Ryou's mouth tightened into a flat line. Anubisu, he knew.

Though Ryou's reaction wasn't a big one, and though Ryou still had questions to ask, the small creature brightened. "So, you do know him. That's good. That's very good. You've been most helpful. Thank you. I'll see you soon." With that, the boy started to walk away, swinging his arms at his side as he hummed a lively little tune to himself. He stepped around a small bush and was gone. Just like that.

A hand landed on Ryou's shoulder and he jumped, again. "Xiu! What are you doing?"

"Looking for you." Xiu frowned at him. "What's wrong? We all felt something wrong. Are you okay?"

"Did you see that guy?"

"Huh?" Obviously, Xiu hadn't.

"Never mind. Maybe my mind's playing tricks on me." But Ryou was sure that it wasn't. He looked around, hoping to see the little green person just to prove he hadn't imagined the whole conversation. "I could swear I saw him. He had green skin. Like the slime on a stagnant pond."

Xiu pu an arm around Ryou's shoulders and lowered his voice. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

"I'm not THAT tired."

"Yeah. Sure." Xiu pulled at Ryou. "You're done, right? Right. Let's get back. Sei-chan bought some snacks 'n stuff. You can take a nice nap until we get to the city."

"But…"

"Come on. Let's go. Sei-chan said something about leaving in five minutes and he's not in the best mood today."

Ryou let himself be led out of the forest to where everyone was waiting for him. Everyone agreed with Xiu that Ryou must have just been tired from his restless night's sleep and imagined whatever it was that he'd seen. Their attention did perk up when Ryou told than that whatever he'd seen was looking for Anubisu, but even Ryou had to admit that he might have imagined that part from the stress of the war. However, as Seiji said,

"We'll all be together every night and during the day I think we'll be safe enough. Just don't leave your orb behind. If something is up, then we'll have to be ready for it."

At Nasutei's mansion-  
Jun-

Yamato Jun was actually quite happy with his life, even if it was one massive lie. For starters, he wasn't Yamato Jun. He was Abraham.

"Onesan," he smiled as he said this, watching Yagiyu Nasutei stare at Seiji's green car as it sped down the dusty road. They sat together on the stone stairs that led up to the front door of the mansion she'd bought when they'd begun this deception. It was ostentatious, but not too outrageous. "You look sad. Do you miss them already?"

She looked down and smiled. "Just a little."

How odd to call his daughter 'big sister'. She played her role in all this perfectly, acting as if she didn't know the enemy. "You act so human, sometimes. I worry for you." She had the most remarkable eyes, Abraham thought as he watched her. He'd always admired her. From the first moment when he'd seen her, he loved her.

To anyone who didn't know him, Abraham looked like a ten-year-old boy. His hair was a little too shaggy and his eyes were large and innocent. All in all, he looked like a normal little boy and that was all anyone was ever meant to see. They'd been playing the part of this grand lie for so long that Abraham was actually getting used to acting the part of a child. He'd always felt as easy wearing children's clothes even though, to his mind, he wasn't a child. After all, no matter how old he looked, he was many centuries old.

They hadn't been alone in a long time and Abraham cuddled into his daughter's side. "Miko, my dove, do you enjoy this life?"

"Very much."

"We can't stay here. Not forever." Another year, maybe two. After that, people would start noticing that Abraham wasn't growing up. They would have to leave.

"I know." She was sad when she said it, though. "You can't tell me you don't enjoy, them." She laughed softly and kissed the top of his head. "I saw you sitting on Touma's lap the other day. They're spoiling you."

"And I'm enjoying every moment of it."

She was quiet for a moment and they both looked up just in time to see Seiji's green car vanish into the distance and the dust start to settle. "Master," Miko's voice was hesitant. "Is he going to come?" Her hand drifted up to touch Abraham's throat, tenderly. "I've been very patient. I didn't even try to talk to him when we saw him."

"He'd better. Rajura should have told him, by now." Abraham replied, his tone darkening at Miko's question. "We have an appointment and Rajura should know not to anger me." How strange it would have sounded to anyone listening to hear a child speak thus. "Kuj safe, though. I don't believe Rajura would let him be harmed."

Miko didn't seem to be comforted. "The war's been over long enough, hasn't it? Three days is plenty of time. When's Rajura going to do it? He promised to give Kujuurou back his memories."

"Actually, he didn't." Abraham reached up to stroke Miko's long brown hair, petting her as he would a favored dog. "Rajura never said any such thing. We took their memories for their own benefit, we never thought of giving them back. It was necessary. If they knew about their connection when the time for war came to us, they never would have survived."

Tears, tinted red, appeared in Miko's eyes. "I just want my son back. I want my dear Kujuurou."

Miko was a vampire and Abraham was her master, her creator. If anyone were to ask how they could be perfectly comfortable in broad daylight, Abraham would have laughed and told them that age had it's benefits. They were both so old that the restrictions placed on so many of their kind just didn't apply to them. The fact that they were vampires was a carefully hidden secret, especially hidden from the boys they were watching over. Abraham, had become a vampire centuries ago when his master had taken a fancy to him and decided to keep him.

That hadn't lasted long as Abraham's master had become bored with him quickly and abandoned him only to lose his life at the hands of hunters. Abraham grew older, but not physically, and he began to desire a family. He'd created vampires many times, but none he actually considered his family. Nastuei had caught his eye when He'd turned Miko into a vampire when she smiled at him on her way home from the brothel where she used to work. She was beautiful and had a lovely smile. He knew at once that he wanted her for his daughter.

Strangely, it was Nastuei who had brought to life one of the rarest of all creatures, the dhampire. She had somehow managed to fall in love with a mortal man and become pregnant. That was supposedly impossible, yet it had happened. For months, Abraham had guarded her and kept her locked within the deep rooms of his manor house. The blue haired boy had been born in the manor Abraham owned, but had been taken away and raised by his father in far off Egypt.

"And you'll have him, my dove. Rajura will return his memories and he'll return to us. If not, then Rajura will regret it."

"We can't reach him in the Youja Kai."

"We can't." Abraham's eyes drifted to the black and white tiger stretched out on the porch near them. "But the wyrm can."

Byakuen, the name Ryou had given to the wrym disguised as a tiger, lifted his large head and opened his mouth in a cat sort of grin. "Shall we be subtle or bold?" The not-quite-natural voice that the wyrm spoke with was just barely clear enough for Abraham to understand. "I grow weary of this tender stepping caution."

Abraham nodded in agreement. "Why don't you go pay Rajura a little visit?"

The wyrm let out a soft, hissing laugh and stood. "A little visit? How sweet to see little brother, again." It took only a step before it vanished.

To be continued… 


	6. Michael

Chapter 6: Michael

Sendai-  
Ryou-

Xiu was let out first when Seiji finally found the new Phoenix Rising.

"Man," Xiu looked out the window at the building as Seiji pulled into a rare parking space outside the front of the building. "Mama and papa sure have gone upscale."

By 'upscale' Xiu meant that they now had a sign in the window. The building itself looked exactly the same as the first Phoenix Rising, but that didn't surprise Xiu. His family weren't ones for change. There were small differences, naturally. The curtains were a different color. Ryou liked it, all the same. Ryou had only been in the Faun family's restaurant once, but that one time had been wonderful. It was just like a home should be, filled up with people and talking and lovely smells of cooking. Ryou looked up and saw that there was an apartment above the restaurant, so the family must still be living there.

"You want to take your bag?" Shin asked, leaning forward over Xiu's shoulder. "I'll grab it while you say sweet goodbye's to Seiji. We all know you can't bear to be apart for more than three minutes before you start going into withdrawal."

"Shut up." Xiu swatted at him, good-naturedly. "You're just jealous."

"Of you or him? Either way…ugg." Shin shuddered slightly. "Please. As much as I like you both, you're really not my type."

"Oh?" Xiu smirked at him. "Then who is your type?"

"Do you want your bag or not?"

Ryou and Touma both had to stifle their grins as Xiu won the little verbal play. It didn't happen often and never so quickly before.

"Why bother?" Xiu leaned forward and planted a kiss on Seiji's cheek, but only got an warm smile in return. Seiji had never been big on public affection. "We're still meeting at grampa's place, right? I'll just meet you there. About seven, I guess…" Xiu's voice trailed away when he looked out the window again, this time his gaze focusing on a man standing outside the front door, leaning against the wall. He wasn't all that impressive looking, but something about the man shocked Xiu and everyone felt his shock. "Michael?"

Seiji raised an eyebrow when he followed Xiu's gaze. "And who might this be? Should I be jealous?"

"No," Xiu told him, distractedly. "I just haven't seen him for a while." There were images of this Michael person coming from Xiu. Images of the man as younger and laughing, picking up little Xiu and helping him clean his bedroom. The fondness Xiu felt for Michael was unmistakable. "Not for at least two years."

Seiji was no longer looking at Michael, but at Xiu with a little frozen smile on his face. Whatever Seiji was feeling, he kept carefully hidden. "You had a crush on him."

There was no denying the deep blush that crossed Xiu's cheeks. "Ummm…"

Shin, who had been leaning over both Ryou and Touma to get a look at the man in question, gave an appreciative look. "You always did have good taste, Xiu."

"He's old, man. Like twenty three." Touma protested. "Maybe more."

"Ages means nothing. Xiu, what's he look like without sunglasses?"

"Beats me. I've never seen him without them. But," He said this specifically to Seiji. "Just so you know, he's a friend. Nothing more. I've known him since I was seven. See you tonight." He left the car and made a beeline to Michael. He was happy and for that they were all glad. Going home was a tense enough situation, at least Xiu had a friend to talk to if things got rough.

Seiji watched with a serious expression until Xiu turned around and waved at them, telling them to get going. DON'T WORRY. HE'S A FRIEND. GO ON.

IF YOU'RE SURE. SEE YOU TONIGHT? Seiji thought in return.

OF COURSE. Xiu abruptly closed his mind to only Seiji, but Ryou thought very little of it. Xiu and Seiji often did that.

There was a moment of silence before Seiji blushed a little and pulled the car away from the curb. It was with great reluctance that Seiji did as Xiu told him to. He didn't look happy about it, but he trusted Xiu enough to know he'd call for help if there was anything wrong. "Shin, Touma. You guys need anything before we stop at your place?"

Touma shook his head and crawled into the front seat where Xiu had been. "Nope. Moms always have everything." He fell silent and it was no wonder. Touma's reason for returning to Sendai was just as nerve wracking as Xiu's wanting to reconnect with his family. He'd been more sedated than normal during the whole trip, thinking about what could happen and what he would find when he went to visit his dad.

I LOVE MY DAD. Touma thought when he sensed Ryou's attention on him. I DON'T CARE WHAT HE DID. I DON'T CARE IF HE REALLY WANTED TO KILL ME. HE'S MY DAD. I CAN'T JUST FORGET HIM. But he seemed sad, almost guilty. Guilty for loving his dad. That was a reason to be sad.

Ryou didn't know how to reply to that. He didn't love his dad, he never had. To be honest, he didn't even remember his dad. The first time he'd seen his dad in years had been the nightmare when he'd walked in and saw doctor Date, Seiji's mom, dead with Lai, Xiu's little sister. He couldn't find it in his heart to forgive or even try to understand his dad. Ryou kept these kind of thoughts strictly to himself. There was no reason for Seiji to worry about it, he had enough to think about when it concerned their dad.

Shin's moms lived just a few streets away from Xiu and when they reached it, a bright smile spread across Shin's face. "Home." He muttered. The house was small and an actual house with a small yard surrounding it instead of the apartments many Japanese families had. That was one of the many benefits Shin enjoyed just because his kaasan was a geisha, one of the best in Japan. The car door was open before Seiji had even stopped the car, something Shin had a habit of that annoyed Seiji to no end, and Shin shouted to his moms when they came out of the house.

Maybe it was Ryou's imagination, but Shin's mum looked like she'd gained weight. Not that he was going to say what he was thinking or let Shin pick it up. There was no need for it. "See ya in a few hours." Shin and Touma chorused when they piled out of the car. Like Xiu, neither of them took their bags, either.

Seiji waited until they were all in the house before he looked at Ryou over his shoulder. "Just you and me, little brother."

Little, indeed! "I might be older than you, ya know." Ryou pointed out as he moved to the front seat.

"Maybe. So," Seiji pulled away from the sidewalk and his voice softened, something that always happened when he got serious. "Where did you want to go? That creature that was in your bedroom might still be after you. I don't like you going off on your own."

"Careful. You'll get to be like Shin."

"You're the only brother I have." Seiji didn't look at Ryou when he said that. "I have to protect you."

"I'm a warrior, too, remember. I don't need to be protected."

"Maybe. But we don't know what that thing in your bedroom was and you did say you met some strange person at the rest stop. I don't suppose you'll come back to the dojo with me."

"After I'm done."

"Then will you let me come with you?"

Ryou thought about it, but just this once he wanted to be alone. "Not this time. Sorry." After all, Ryou had his own memories to revisit. "I'll tell you the way. Turn left…"

Seeing the grimy windows and the graffiti decorated door didn't hurt as much as Ryou had thought it would. The Holy Shepard Home wasn't his home anymore. It was just a building. Still, he stood outside and stared at the door for a long time. How many times had he walked through that door knowing that he'd open it to see Sister Jo mopping the floors and Byakuren prowling amongst the cots. Granma, if she was feeling sprightly, would raise herself up on one elbow and smile when he walked in. Holy Shepard Home wasn't home, anymore, but it did have some strong memories.

He tried to open the door, but found it locked. Bishop Brannon must have locked it after Sister Jo had left. While he probably could have just broken the door down - in this neighborhood no one would have noticed - Ryou went to the window and used his hand to wipe away some of the grime. Peering inside was depressing, but not really surprising. Dark and shadowy, the shelter was empty. Everything had been removed from the cots to the tables, right down to the throw rug. Everything was gone.

'I wonder where people go who need it? Maybe another shelter's opened up nearby.' But Ryou doubted it. He hadn't seen one while Seiji had driven through the neighborhood and he couldn't think where they'd put one close enough to be of any use to the people in the area.

"You look fitter than the last time I saw you." Jack Lung stood behind Ryou looking just as he had when he'd picked Ryou up off the streets and delivered him to Bishop Brannon. "You look like a frightened rabbit. Come on, lad. You know I'm not someone to be afraid of. I'm just the delivery boy."

Ryou swallowed the lump in his throat and sucked in a deep breath of foul city air. It was Jack Lung, a soft-spoken, well-dressed man, who'd been directed by Shit-Face to where Ryou was. Suddenly, Ryou wished he hadn't been so stubborn and let Seiji stay with him. Privacy didn't seem to matter so much anymore. "What do you want?"

"I was just passing by. Bit surprised to see you, though. When you vanished, I thought you'd gotten lucky and was able to just leave. Didn't think I'd see you back here. Looking to start up that business again? I suppose I could hook you up with a few clients for find you a manager."

"Manager?"

"Pimp is such a low-class word, don't you think?"

Ryou took a step away. He was sure that Jack Lung was telling the truth, he wasn't going to hurt Ryou. That didn't mean Ryou trusted him, not even after all the sympathy the man had shown him when he'd walked Ryou to Bishop Brannon's house. Ryou could feel his chest start to tighten at the thought of what he'd done, even though the reason for selling himself had been a very good one. This was part of his life he hadn't wanted to reconnect with. "I have to go now."

"He's dead, you know."

Ryou stopped and frowned at Jack Lung. "Who?"

"I always thought it was you who'd done it. Why, the Bishop, of course. That night I took you to him a fire burned his house to ashes. From the way you acted when you saw him, I presumed that you'd met before." Jack Lung regarded Ryou with mild curiosity. It wasn't the kind of look one would get if one was suspected of murder. "I thought you set the fire when things got too rough. You were new and I guessed that it was your first job. Maybe he got out of hand and you couldn't take it. Anyway, the house burnt to the ground with the good bishop inside. Dead as a doornail and crispy as a French fry. Never saw you after that night, so everyone just kind of guessed it was you. Was it?"

"How do you know I wasn't around?" The thought that Jack Lung might have been looking for him, horrified Ryou.

"I keep my eyes open." Jack Lung said with a vague shrug. "You seemed like a nice kid. I'd seen you with Yoko and Joji and sister Jo was a good woman, she mentioned you a few times." He laughed. "Don't look so betrayed. She didn't know who I was. She just thought I was one of the locals. She was very fond of you."

"I…" He was going to say that he didn't kill anyone, but suddenly, he wasn't sure if that was the truth or not. "I never meant to hurt anyone." Even if he had really wanted to. If he'd said that he hadn't done it, Jack Lung wouldn't have believed him. Better to pretend he had done the crime, that way the rumor would spread and his reputation would get a boost.

Bishop Brannon was the kind of person who should have been killed long before Ryou had ever met him. He was the worst sort of predator. He wasn't like Byakuen who would hunt for food, but he hunted for the pleasure he would get from the pain of his prey. It was good that Bishop Brannon had died, but Ryou found himself wondering, 'If I didn't do it, who did? Maybe I did do it. Things were a little fuzzy that night.' He remembered, very clearly, walking with Jack Lung to Bishop Brannon's house and what Bishop Brannon had done to him. Sometime during the nightmare, when Bishop Brannon was still laying on top of him and the pain was nearly unbearable, things started to get blurred.

"No one means to hurt anyone else. Well, alright. Some people do, but I don't think you're one of them and I'm very good at reading people. An accident. Or you were just frightened. One or the other. It doesn't make any difference to me, either way. I was just curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Jack Lung tugged on his shirt sleeve and smiled cheerfully at Ryou. "It's odd seeing you here again. When people get out of a place like this, they don't normally come back. I'm not the only one that noticed you."

Ryou felt himself pale against his will. Who else? He didn't remember having any real enemies. But if his memory about that night was foggy, then what else was he forgetting? After all, considering his talent with fire and how enthusiastic Rekka was, causing a fire while being raped wasn't unthinkable.

"Well, see ya, kid." Jack Lung waved and spun on his heel. "You don't have to worry too much. Your first client is dead. That guy who directed me to you is dead. How many enemies can you have?" Then he was gone, having turned the corner.

Shit-Face was dead, too?

Ryou felt a surge of glee. They were both dead. The nightmares that had haunted him for so long were dead! Ryou put the palm of his hand against the cool glass of the large window and silently thanked sister Jo for all she'd done for him. Ryou wished he knew where sister Jo was so he could thank her properly, but this was the best he could do for now. 'Now for granma.'

The graveyard was desolate, but well cared for, and Ryou found his granma's gravestone easily. Kneeling before the solitary stone, Ryou wondered if he'd succeeded in making his granma proud of him. Going from unwashed street boy to one of the saviors of the world would surely have made her proud. Maybe her spirit was smiling down on him. There was no sign of the vandalism that had marked the gravestone the last time he'd visited.

"I miss you, granma. Date-san and doctor Date did well by you. They took care of all the arrangements. Did you know they're family? Took me by surprise. Date-san is granpa. I don't think I'll be able to call him that to his face, though. It doesn't seem right. You'd like Seiji. He's a lot like you, I think. He's strong and very smart. Doctor Date was killed. I suppose you know that, huh? I wonder if dead people meet each other wherever it is that you go. I hope you're happy, granma. I love you." Ryou was shocked that he'd made it through that without crying. His eyes were burning and his stomach hurt, but he wasn't crying. "I'm stronger now, granma. I have friends and a home. No matter what happens, you don't have to worry about me." Ryou stood and bowed solemnly to the gravestone. "I'll come visit. I promise I won't stay away too long." Then he stood and turned to leave. Seiji and granpa were expecting him and before he went to the dojo, he had to drop by at Shin's house and then at the Phoenix Rising as they'd all agreed to walk to the dojo together.

Phoenix Rising-  
Xiu-

Michael hadn't changed in the years since Xiu had last seem him. He was still tall and lanky, with a gentle face and soft hands. When he had been younger, Xiu hadn't thought it was odd how much he liked Michael's hands. He could remember being very small and Michael would pick him up and hold Xiu on his lap in the kitchen while other grown-ups would come and talked to papa, though Xiu had never really paid them any attention. Back then, he was too busy playing with Michael.

FlashBack-

Xiu peeked around the corner, into the restaurant's main room. The people were still sitting very quietly around the tables which papa and mama had pushed together to make one bigger table. There were six of them, four men and two women. One woman was very old with kind, sweet eyes. The other woman was young and very beautiful with long, silky hair and sharp, hateful eyes. The men were also very different from one another. One man was older than papa with his dark hair graying at the sides. One man had very brown skin and long coarse hair tied into hundreds of little braids, a gaijin. That man was smirking slightly at a man across the table, someone built like the wrestlers Xiu liked to watch on TV with bright red hair. They were all so still and silent, watching each other with such burning intensity, that Xiu thought they must hate each other.

A hand landed on Xiu's shoulder and he looked up, shocked to find a young gaijin with dark glasses smiling down at him. "You Xiulei? Papa Faun send I to find. You mama want you."

His Japanese was laughable, but Xiu only managed to hold off the laughter. He would have laughed if it weren't for the guests just around the corner. More than anything, Xiu didn't want their attention on him. Besides, Xiu's mama and papa said his Chinese was horrible, so what right did he have to be laughing at other people? "Who're you?"

The young man thought a moment, apparently trying to translate. "My name is Michael."

"Don't you have a family name?"

"No." He held out his hand and Xiu took it without fear. The restaurant was closed and there was no one in the building that his mama and papa didn't want inside, like papa's guests. That meant that Michael must be a friend.

They walked together upstairs where Xiu's papa and his very pregnant mama were talking in hushed voices. Mama's face burst into a radiant smile when Xiu and Michael came to the top of the stairs and found them. "There's my boy." She waddled away from papa and awkwardly bent over to kiss Xiu's forehead, which he much resented seeing as how his new friend, Michael, was watching. "I see you two have met." She gave Michael an approving look and that, more than anything, cemented Xiu's opinion that Michael was a friend. Mama always knew best. "You be nice to Michael. He's going to be staying with us for a while. Now, I know what you're going to say, he talks funny." Her gaze turned stern. "Well, I'll tell you this, be polite! He's only been in Japan for a few days and I think he does pretty well since he's only started studying a little while ago. He's going to help you while I'm away."

"Away? In the hospital?"

"Yes." She patted his head and brushed his hair behind his ears. "It won't be for long, but the doctors are worried. They just want to make sure everything's okay until the baby's born. Don't you worry about a thing. Papa's just got some business to take care of and then we're off. You'll stay here with Michael and do as he says. No need for you to come along, you wouldn't like the hospital, anyway."

"Now, now." Xiu's papa spoke up with a smile that didn't look quite genuine. "You're making a fuss, you'll worry him. Michael has excellent references." He, too, beamed down at Xiu. "The restaurant's going to be closed until you're mama's well enough to work again, so maybe a couple of months."

Mama scowled, unhappily. "We'll see about that."

"Yes, well…until she's ready, there'll be no business here, so you and Michael will have the run of the place while I'm at work." He looked at the stairway behind Xiu and Michael. "You didn't bother my guests, did you?"

"No, papa." Xiu promised. "They don't look very happy. Are you sure their friends?"

Papa laughed at that and headed downstairs with mama holding his arm. "Friends? No. They're just people I know from the business."

"The bank?"

He laughed again. "Stay with Michael, Xiu. Don't go downstairs until Michael says it's alright."

End Flashback-

Looking back on their first meeting, Xiu had known that Michael had been young, though he'd never really thought about it. Michael couldn't have been more than fifteen or so when he'd first met Xiu and looked a good deal older now. He'd gotten taller and more muscular, though not much. His hiar was the same sandy blonde color and he still wore those stupid sunglasses. Xiu had told Shin the truth, earlier. He'd never seen Michael without the sunglasses. Michael looked the very picture of casual relaxation as he leaned against the wall next to the front door of the Phoenix Rising with a newspaper in his hands. Those hands…

Xiu blushed, looking at those hands. He'd always liked Michael's hands.

Michael hadn't stayed just a few months, as Xiu's papa had said he would. He'd stayed for nearly seven years until Xiu was fourteen, just a year before he'd met Seiji. In those seven years, Xiu had developed his first crush, which he'd never told Michael about, of course. So, Seiji was, as always, right. The crush had faded while Michael had been away and been almost forgotten the first moment when Xiu had laid eyes on Seiji. Xiu almost felt guilty for forgetting Michael, but in all honesty, he couldn't compare to Seiji. No one could.

"Ah, boya." Michael lowered the newspaper a bit when he saw Xiu coming towards him. "Long time no see. Your old man didn't say anything about expecting you." He looked over Xiu's shoulder and commented. "You've made some new friends. Mama Faun said something about you living with a bunch of boys somewhere out in the country. Sounds nice. I'd rather live out with the trees rather than a city like this. Can't get a breath of clean air."

It seemed that Michael's Japanese was nearly perfect. He always had been a bit of a chatterbox. Xiu turned to wave at Seiji and the others and didn't miss the fact that Seiji was watching him cautiously. DON'T WORRY. HE'S A FRIEND. GO ON.

IF YOU'RE SURE. SEE YOU TONIGHT?

OF COURSE. MAKE SURE RYOU COMES. YOU KNOW HE'S A LITTLE FLIGHTY SOMETIMES. Xiu meant no offense to Ryou, of course, but it was true. Ryou tended to get wrapped up in whatever he was doing and forget what he should be doing. IF I HAVE TO GO LOOK FOR HIM IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU'LL OWE ME SOMETHING BIG.

I MIGHT JUST HOLD YOU TO THAT. There were all kinds of sly little innuendoes in Seiji's parting remark suggesting what, exactly, was the big thing he would owe to Xiu and what he would hold Xiu to. It was enough to make Xiu blush as Seiji's green car was pulling away.

"Hey, hey." Michael prodded Xiu in the arm to get his attention. "Xiulei! You still with me, boya?"

"Huh?" At least Seiji's car turned a corner and Xiu looked back at Michael who was peering at him from over the top of his sunglasses. "Oh. Sorry." It was good to see Michael again. He looked the same as ever, right down to the black ring he always wore. "When did you come back? Mama never called me."

"Not surprising. I only got here about an hour ago."

That he was standing on the sidewalk, alone, shocked Xiu so much that he instantly grabbed Michael's arm. "What are you doing out here, then? Come in and get something to eat! Have a seat and rest. Mama's gonna be furious if she finds you out here. You know how she is about guests."

Michael only laughed and pulled his arm away from Xiu. Well…he tried to pull his arm away from Xiu. Michael kept smiling when he tugged on his arm again and Xiu, not realizing what he was doing, just held on. There was a moment when Xiu could almost see Michael's curious eyes behind those dark glasses. "Boya, you've gotten a bit stronger since I last saw you. Mind letting go? I'm actually working."

How could he be so thoughtless? Xiu let go of Michael and hoped he hadn't actually hurt Michael. He'd never forgive himself if he had. "What? By reading the paper? I thought you went back to America. You can't be back as my babysitter. Are you here for one of the kids?" That actually made sense. Considering what had happened to Lai, Xiu could understand it if mama and papa decided that they needed more protection for the kids.

"Go on in and see your old man."

Xiu frowned. "Why won't you tell me?"

"You should really see your papa." Michael never outright lied, but he did tend to step gingerly around truth. This was obviously something he thought he shouldn't be talking about and, therefore, he politely told Xiu to go away. "He's been waiting for you. Your mama and the little ones are upstairs, but your papa's in the main restaurant."

The shades had been drawn and that only made Xiu more confused. They'd only just opened the new restaurant, why would they close in the middle of the day? "But…"

"He wants to talk to you. I'll be out here if you want to talk later. I'll be relieved in a couple of hours, so I'll come find you if you're still around.."

Xiu was getting a funny feeling about this. He just didn't understand what Michael's job could be that he would have to stand around doing nothing but holding the newspaper. It worried him even more that something strange was going on in his family and no one had seen fit to tell him about. "Can't you tell me anything?"

Michael kept up that smile and shook his head. "Come on, boya. You know I can't disobey your old man. He signs my paychecks. Orders are that you go inside and see him. I'll give you a bit of advice. Be on your best behavior."

"I'm not seven anymore." But why should he be on good behavior? "Who's in there?"

"Guests. Just trust me on this. You still trust me, right? " There was something very serious behind Michael's smile, something that made Xiu pay a little more attention. "You know I'd never do anything that would get you hurt."

Xiu couldn't argue with that. Michael had spent too many years taking care of Xiu to ever make Xiu doubt his loyalty. 'He held me when I had nightmares and bandaged up my scraped knees. He'd never hurt me.' So Xiu went inside while Michael went back to his paper.

The main part of the restaurant was empty with all the chairs on the tables. It was very much like the old Phoenix Rising, but it seemed that Xiu's mama and papa had decided to expand. There were a few more tables and the kitchen, from where Xiu stood, looked almost double the size of the last one. All this stress was wearing on Xiu's nerves. Bad enough that he was coming home for the first time after the war, but he just knew there was going to be a confrontation about Seiji. Xiu didn't like fighting with his papa, it always left him with a bad taste in his mouth and his stomach in knots. Family wasn't supposed to fight family. Xiu had always believed that. Xiu had been dating Seiji for quite some time before the war or even the yoroi had appeared, but he'd kept it a secret from his family because he knew his papa's opinions of homosexual people and he hadn't wanted to deal with it. However, when he'd woken up after a fever and found out that his papa had found out the secret and nearly chased Seiji away for good, Xiu knew he couldn't hide anymore. A confrontation was inevitable.

That night was still a nightmare. 'I can't believe I stood up to papa like that.' He'd been caught up in the moment, the heat of anger and fear of losing Seiji had stilled any qualms Xiu had about arguing with his papa. No matter how much they'd yelled at each other that night, Xiu was glad he'd done it. Despite how angry papa had been, he'd gone to the courthouse and spoken up on Seiji's behalf.

'Wait.' There was something Xiu hadn't thought about in a long time. Xiu set down his bag on the counter as he remembered what had happened when Seiji had stood up at the end of Touma's trial. When papa had spoken for Seiji the judge had paled as if he were afraid. 'Why would papa make anyone afraid?'

Flashback-

"Your honor?" Seiji called out and drew attention from not only the judge and bailiffs, but also from his friends.

"Yes, young man?" The judge seemed to think for a moment. "You're that Date boy, aren't you? You just spoke up for your friend."

"Yes, your honor." Seiji answered. He walked up to the judge's bench before throwing a stern warning to his friends. He could feel that they wanted to stop him or at least go to stand with him and try to justify what Seiji had done. "I want to confess to something I did and, since it's so like what Touma did, I thought I may as well do it here. Yesterday morning, when I went to the Phoenix Rising, I found my father had killed two people including my mother. I had my sword with me and killed him."

The judge sat forward, a disbelieving look on his face. "Did I hear you correctly, young man?"

"I think so, your honor."

"Do you realize the magnitude of what you're saying?"

"I believe so."

"You must be confused, young man. I know the dead man was your father, but you didn't kill him. Perhaps your friend's case has affected you too deeply to think clearly."

"I don't understand, your honor."

"Faun-san called the police when he found his daughter and your mother had been murdered. When the police arrived, they'd found your father…er…decapitated, but you didn't do it. You couldn't have."

"What? But..."

"Date-san," The judge said, compassionately. "Perhaps you'd like to speak with a therapist. We have a few of them here, on call. You've lost both of your parents in the most horrible way only a few hours ago. In all honestly, I'm surprised that you'd come here at all. You really should be resting in private with your family. Young man," He leaned forward so he was closer to Seiji. "The police have determined that after your father killed your mother and the little girl, he killed himself. You had nothing to do with it."

Seiji's confusion was impossible to hide. "Your honor...?"

Before anyone could stop him, papa Faun stood from where he sat by mama Faun and made his way to the judge's bench next to Seiji, looking very imposing next to the slender Seiji. "Your honor, I believe the young man needs a good deal of rest. If you don't mind, I think his grandfather should take him home and put him to bed. We can talk about a therapist in the morning, after he's had time to grieve. In fact, he's welcome to come when I take my family to a family grief counselor." To both Seiji and Xiu's dumbfounded amazement, papa Faun put a fatherly arm around Seiji's shoulders. "He's almost family, after all."

The judge, when he'd seen papa Faun emerge from the crowded audience, had gone deathly pale and nodded obediently. "Yes, of course. Faun san, I didn't expect to see you here, today. My condolences on the passing of your youngest."

Papa Faun nodded stiffly, clearly not wanting to talk about his family's loss in public. "Thank you. Now, if all this business is cleared up...?"

"Yes, certainly. Have a good day, sir." The judge was nearly babbling as he bid papa Faun good-bye.

When they returned to where everyone was waiting, Xiu stared at his papa with a wide-open mouth. "Papa, what was that all about? Since when have you taken up bullying judges?"

"It's something I really don't want you to get involved with." Papa Faun gave Xiu a stern look. "Let's just say I've made a few connections in my life and a few people have owed me favors." He turned to Seiji, whom he still had in a half-hug. "For now, I give my blessing to you two. If you hurt my son, Date Seiji, be warned, I will hurt you."

Seiji nodded dumbly, probably too shocked to say anything.

End Flashback-

Papa never did tell Xiu why he'd helped Seiji, though Seiji really hadn't needed much in the way of help. Though he'd spoken the blunt truth, the judge hadn't believed him.

Xiu found his papa in the main area of the restaurant where the customers would normally sit, but, like the first time Xiu had met Michael, the main area wasn't empty. There were seven people around the tables, each one looking as hostile as the first time Xiu had met this group. They weren't all the same people he'd seen before, though the old woman still smiled cheerily and three of the men looked the same. The dark skinned man had cut off his braids at some point.

"Ummm…hi." Everyone had turned to look at him the minute Xiu had walked in.

Xiu's papa stood up and motioned Xiu to his side. "Allow me to introduce my eldest son, Faun Xiulei. Xiu, these are business associates of mine. Mr. Baxter. Lo-sun. Hirum. Madam Lau. Miss Shaw. And, of course, Lady Kushi." This last he said with great respect and a low bow to the happy old woman. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need a word with him in private." They left the room quickly, Xiu obediently following his father, for once.

"Have I interrupted something?" Xiu asked, keeping his voice low for fear of having the guests overhearing. "I saw Michael outside."

"Yes. Michael. He's part of the reason why I wanted you home." Papa Faun was normally a very self-assured man, never one to question what he was doing or his reasoning. Now, he was fidgety and nervous. "Look, you've done some things I haven't approved of." He held up a restraining hand when Xiu would have protested. "No. Let me finish. You and Date-kun…well. You know my feelings about that. We won't go into it. I want you to know what I have to say has NOTHING to do with Date-kun or your relationship." He took a deep breath and put his hands on Xiu's shoulders. "I'm making Michael my heir."

Michael? "You're disowning me?" Xiu felt a pain deep in his chest. He'd known that this was a possibility when he threw his love for Seiji in his papa's face, but…Michael was replacing him? What had happened while he was gone? Xiu prided himself on his strength, but he felt weak in that moment. His head spun and all the blood in his body sunk to his feet and his stomach twisted in a painful knot of lead.

"No!" Papa Faun gave Xiu a shake. "Don't think that! No matter how angry I am, you're still my son!" Then he let go of Xiu and stepped away. "There are parts of my life I'd never meant you to get involved with, neither you nor your brothers and sisters. I certainly never wanted your mama to get involved. This is just one of them. Xiu, you're my eldest and I'm very proud of you, but…you just aren't the right sort of person to handle the business."

The hurt began to be replaced by anger and Xiu bunched his hands into fists. "Not the right sort? Papa, mama's been training me all my life to run the restaurant. I know everything and you're going to give it to Michael!"

There must have been something funny about what Xiu had said, or maybe it was the way he was pacing in the kitchen. Xiu's papa laughed. "This isn't about the restaurant. The Phoenix Rising is still yours. My boy, you're not very swift. No. I didn't mean to insult you. Son, you are your mama's heir. Not mine. Her money and her restaurant will be yours."

"I don't understand."

The laugh was gone and papa Faun looked tired. He rubbed a hand over his face and his shoulders dropped a little. "Those people out there are all leaders of sections of the tong. Lady Kushi is the head of all the organizations in Japan. I'm the head of the Sendai section."

"The tong? You're lying." His papa wasn't a killer, Xiu knew that for certain.

"I've been the head of the Sendai section for a long time, years. When I met your mama I was a soldier for Lady Kushi. She hand picked me for this position. Working in a bank is a sort of side job, to make me look respectable to the neighbors. Your mama knew, but I never wanted you kids to find out. I never wanted you to inherit my life." He smiled wearily. "Michael's known for a long time that his life would be in the tong. He came to us from the mafia in America when he was fifteen, around the time you first met him. I'm sorry I never told you, but…Xiu. Where are you going?"

"Upstairs." Xiu didn't break stride when he spoke. "Michael said mama and the kids were up there. I thought I'd say hi."

"Wait a minute, there's more you should hear."

Xiu stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder at the waiting tong bosses. He hated them all. They'd taken his papa away and Xiu had never even noticed. What kind of things had papa done? Had he ever killed anyone? With a shaking hand, Xiu closed the kitchen door soundly and kept his voice carefully low. Seiji would be so proud of him. "You think you can shock me?" Xiu couldn't remember ever being so angry before and even when he spoke he could feel everyone else curiously and worriedly poking at his mind, trying to figure out what was wrong. "I showed you the orb. I showed you the yoroi. I am Kongo. I have faced death in many battles you can't even imagine. I've fought demons. I've gone to the youja-kai and walked out again. I've seen the fate of this world if I fail, if I allow myself to die, or if I fail my friends and one of them dies, every soul in this world is lost. I've faced the evil in my own soul. You think you being part of your little gang is going to upset me?" Xiu forced a laugh. "What do you use to fight? Guns? Threats? Maybe a knife? It's all pathetic. I can shake this planet. One word, one thought, and I could crack this world like an egg."

The look of disbelief and horror on papa Faun's face as he realized the true extent of Xiu's power wasn't as satisfying as Xiu had hoped.

"I'm gonna go see mama. Then I'll leave. I'm staying at the dojo. Date sensei invited us all. Have your little meeting. The politics of mortals means nothing to me." Then he left, striding right passed his papa's visitors without so much as a glance.

DO YOU NEED ME? Seiji's soft thought wafted through Xiu's mind, but he pushed it aside and didn't answer. As much as he might need Seiji, Xiu wanted some time to think, first.

He went upstairs and reunited with everyone, just as he'd planned to do when he'd gotten out of Seiji's car. The kids all ran to him and he was reminded, painfully, of Lai's absence when she didn't try to climb on his back like she always did. Xiu's mama gave him the biggest hug of all, nearly knocking him off his feet. As always, there was great comfort in those big arms of hers and Xiu let himself be held. They talked for a bit. Talked about Seiji and the trip to Sendai. His mama asked Xiu about Nasutei and life in the country. She told him about Chung and Wing's last birthday and the big street fair he'd missed. She noted that he looked older for all that he'd only been gone a few months and nearly wailed at the time she'd lost with him.

Neither of them mentioned the meeting downstairs, Michael, or Kongo.

Ryou-

He'd forgotten that he had to pass Hana High to get to the new Phoenix Rising. If Ryou had remembered, he probably would have gone a longer way and just apologized to Xiu for being late. As it was, he was upon the high school before he realized it and stared at the throng of students being let out for the day. He recognized some of the faces, to his surprise. There was a girl he'd sat behind in home economics. A boy he'd passed everyday in the hallway. Familiar faces of people he might have been friends with if he'd stayed at school longer.

'But maybe not. I wonder…was it coincidence that my only friends all turned out to be chosen by the yoroi? Maybe it was destiny.' Ryou disliked the idea of destiny. Most of his life had been out of his control and Ryou had just flowed along, trying to survive as best as he could. The thought that he would never truly be in control of his life frightened him more than any demon could. 'I'll fight. I'll live and I'll die to protect my friends, but it's my choice! My decision!' To think he was nothing more than a puppet acting out a script made Ryou very, very angry.

Passing the high school turned out to be less of an issue than Ryou had feared. No one gave him more than a moment's glance, they were too busy talking about the last test or what they were going to do after school It wasn't until he was all the way passed . It wasn't until Ryou had passed through the crowd of teenagers and passed the high gates of the high school that he started to relax. Naturally, it was then that trouble found him.

"Well, would you look at who it is."

Ryou turned at the hated voice and found Akira and his little group of cronies hanging out on the basketball court. It was the same place they'd ambushed him the last time Ryou had seen Akira. That was the wall Akira had held Ryou against when he'd threatened to rape Ryou. Though he felt sick being in the place, Ryou held his ground and considered Akira. After battling Arago, the boy didn't look nearly so threatening. 'Why was I intimidated by him?' Through Akira was nearly a full head taller than Ryou and had to be about a hundred pounds heavier in pure muscle, he just didn't compare to even one of Arago's foot soldiers, let alone the ma-sho. Why, he was down right puny when compared to Anubisu. 'I'm thinking about him a lot lately.'

Akira pushed himself away from the wall and sauntered over to Ryou, glancing around cautiously as if he expected someone else to be with Ryou. "So, Little Orphan Annie, where's your friend?"

Only after that question did Ryou remember the awful things Akira had said about Seiji and Xiu. That must be it. He was worried that one of them had come with Ryou. If Akira had known what Ryou could do, he wouldn't have had the courage to even look Ryou in the eyes and that gave Ryou some comfort. Ryou gave Akira the one fingered salute and started to move on. "I haven't got time for you losers."

"Oooo!" Akira called, tauntingly. "Little Orphan Annie's gotten a big opinion of himself since he lost the stutter. You know, no one thought you'd be back when you all disappeared." He glanced up and down the sidewalk again. "Where's your freak? That blue-haired punk let you off your collar?"

There was real venom in his voice, but that did nothing but confuse Ryou. The only blue haired friend he had was Touma and what the Hell was that about Touma letting him off a collar? "What are you talking about?"

Akira held up a hand in front of Ryou. The hand was at an odd, unnatural angle, bent at the wrist. "Your friend broke my wrist, you little bastard! It never healed right."

"Touma?"

Akira blinked then barked out a harsh laugh. "Hashiba? Don't be stupid. Who brought him into the conversation?" He turned his back on Ryou and went back to his waiting friends. "Look, just keep your scarred up fuck-buddy away from me. I won't go so easy on him next time." But his hand was shaking when he spoke and Ryou knew Akira was afraid.

Ryou walked on for a little while. Blue hair? Scar? There was only one person Ryou knew who fit that description and the idea of connection that person to the words 'fuck-buddy' made Ryou feel ill. 'This isn't right. It's a mistake.' But it was true Ryou didn't remember certain things. He couldn't remember a space of time between his altercation with Akira and waking up in Seiji's home. Something had happened and left him feeling very sick, but Ryou had no idea what. He couldn't remember what had happened after going to Bishop Brannon. He didn't remember setting fire to Bishop Brannon's house. That little person, Bion, had mentioned Anubisu. Seiji said someone was in Ryou's bedroom.

A sharp pain struck Ryou, a throbbing pain deep inside his mind. It was so awful that he put both hands to his head and gasped aloud. The pain lasted for only a few minutes, but it seemed like a long time to Ryou. He stood, half hunched over with his hands at the sides of his head and stars dancing in his vision until the pain began to fade.

When his head cleared, Ryou realized he'd lost control and let his shield slip. Shin and Touma, at Shin's moms' house, were worried and Xiu pushed against Ryou's remaining defenses, asking what was wrong. Only Seiji remained silent, though Ryou could feel that Seiji was just as worried as the others.

I'M ALL RIGHT. HONEST. He tried to reassure everyone. JUST…SOMETHING HAPPENED. How else could he describe it? Anubisu? Ryou felt sick to his stomach. It just wasn't possible. 'But all things are possible. Isn't that what Seiji says? What if, before the war, something happened? Those periods of time Ryou couldn't remember had to be important, somehow. Why would he forget them if they weren't important?

Before Ryou knew it, he was at the Phoenix Rising and there was the same man they'd seen reading the newspaper outside, still leaning against the wall, apparently finished with his paper. When Ryou walked to the door of the restaurant the man moved to intercept Ryou.

"Sorry, restaurant's closed." He said, smiling brightly.

"I'm not here to eat. I'm looking for Xiu."

"Xiulei-chan? Hmmm…" He frowned a little and seemed to be examining Ryou from behind his dark sunglasses. "Would you be Data-san?"

"No. I'm Sanada Ryou."

"Oh. Never mind, then." He turned to the door, as if he'd open it, but Xiu hurried out and seized Ryou's arm, hauling him away.

"Bye, Michael. Tell papa I'm going out, would ya?" They left quickly with Xiu setting a pace as if he were being chased. He didn't look at Ryou, but one look at Xiu's face showed he was very unhappy about something. Whatever it was, Ryou knew from the grim look on Xiu's face, would have to wait. Xiu was in no mood to talk at the moment.

Ryou hurried to keep up until Xiu let go of his arm and even then Xiu showed no signs of slowing. "Xiu? Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Nothing I won't survive. You? That pain was something else. What happened. I'm sorry, I wasn't really paying attention before that. Things were happening."

I'LL TELL YOU WHEN WE GET TO THE DOJO. Ryou promised. Seiji would dig for the details, if nothing else. There were just too many people on the streets to talk about personal things and there was no point in using mind speak when they were all going to be together in just a little bit, anyway. LET'S GO SEE HOW SHIN AND TOUMA ARE DOING, HUH? So far, Ryou wasn't enjoying this trip very much. He was beginning to wish he'd stayed at home with Nasutei and Jun. Catching pollywogs with Jun was starting to sounding pretty good.

To be continued…

I've been remiss in thanking reviewers. I want you all to know that I do appreciate you taking the time to write me even the shortest message. Thank you.

Split Persona: I'll try to put plenty of Seiji in this story, he's a favorite of mine, too. Our dear Troopers will be in the story, every one of them. I'm not yet sure who Seiji's religion will affect this story, but I'm sure it will, somehow. You ask so many questions and I'd love to answer them all, but that would ruin the story. Thanks for reviewing. I hope you enjoy the rest.

Dosu: Hi. Glad you liked it. I'm still working on WCII, but I'm afraid this one comes first. Like most of my stories, WCII will be written, but at the moment I can't promise when. I liked your comment about Ryou taking the spot light off Naaza. Can I presume you're a Naaza fan? My friend said the ma-sho were taking too much attention off Ryou. I can't seem to please anyone, huh? Don't worry. I'll try to give them equal time.

Zorra: Hi. Just to let you know I do read your comments. I'll do my best to write about Ryou and Seiji's brotherly relationship, to see how and if it develops.

Anime Huggler: I'm glad you liked the Lady-Queen. I wasn't sure how readers would react to her, seeing as how she's an OC.

Sunny: So happy that you liked Rajura's flashbacks. I LOVE writing flashbacks.

Xxkurenaixshixx: I wasn't really planning another part of the story, but a friend asked me to do another part. I hope it turns out well. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

Yami Flo: Actually, I had finished the story. Twilight Sky was supposed to be the last, but a friend of mine REALLY wanted to see how Ryou and Anubisu's story would end, so I thought I'd give her another dose. After this one, I'm going to work on the final part of my Fruits Basket crossover with Petshop of Horrors, Long Denied: Unity of Family 


	7. Accident

A/N: Dear readers, all that I know and, therefore, all that Seiji knows about Wicca comes from books and the internet. I have studied a little about it, but by no means am I an expert. Please forgive any mistakes. I don't mean to offend any real practitioners of Wicca.

Chapter 7: Accident

Ningen Sekai-  
Touma-

The choice as to who would escort Touma to the psychiatric hospital was made almost as soon as Seiji's car pulled away from the curb. When Shin's moms came out of the house to greet them, his okaasan gave Shin a quick kiss on the cheek, but went to Touma and took his arm. "You wanted to visit your father, didn't you? Why don't you come with me and we'll get that out of the way. You're staying for a full week? That'll give you plenty of time to relax for the rest of the week."

Shin frowned at his okaasan and even Touma was puzzled. She wasn't normally so pushy.

"There's no hurry, Mouri-san." Touma told her. He didn't want her to think she had to rush off just for him.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me okaasan Akane! You're practically family."

"Yes, okaasan Akane." She had told him many times, but it was hard to get used to. When he thought of okaasan, there had always before just been a kind of blank spot in his memory. He couldn't even remember his mother.

"Akane!" Shin's mum, Jenny, admonished as she walked up with a slower pace. "Let them come in and set their bags down, at least. Touma, dear, you don't have to hurry away like that." Like Shin, her Japanese had gotten much better since Touma had first met her. He'd always liked Shin's mum. She was a sweet, earthy soul. Not as beautiful as Shin's okaasan, but she had a heart of gold.

"But, my dear," Okaasan Akane didn't let go of Touma's arm. "He hasn't got a bag. He's staying with a friend tonight, remember. Besides, the hospital visiting hours will be over soon and I'm sure you have a lot you want to tell, Shin-chan, right?"

To that, Shin's mum had the strangest reaction. She went a little pale and reached out, grabbing her wife's hand. "Wait! I'm not doing this alone!"

"No. You discussed it. Touma needs to see his father. You need to talk to Shin. If you want to wait for me, wait till this evening when I come back. I won't have you going to that hospital, not in your condition." Okaasan Akane kissed her cheek and pulled her hand free. "Come along, Touma."

Shin hadn't even had a chance to say a word, but as Touma let okaasan Akane lead him away he looked at Shin over his shoulder and thought, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON?

NOPE. Shin was walking inside with his mum and his concern radiated through the link. I'LL LET YOU KNOW. JUST GO WITH OKAASAN. I'M SURE EVERYTHING'S FINE.

"You show remarkable restraint, Touma. Aren't you going to ask?"

Okaasan Akane's words brought Touma back to reality and he looked down at her. She was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and that was a real compliment considering he was comparing her to Nasutei, too. "If you wanted me to know, I guess you'd tell me."

"But I do want you to know. Let's take a taxi, alright? I hate using the bus. Sorry, the car's in the shop. I suppose I'll have to buy a new one pretty soon. It's not really a secret. I just thought Shin and his mum should be alone when she told him the news. You see, he's going to be a big brother."

Touma stopped walking so abruptly that Akane's arm hit his in the head accidentally. He stared at her. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. Modern science is a wonderful thing, don't you agree?"

A baby. A real baby in the family. Touma's first reaction was to open up his mind to the others and he must have had remarkable timing because just at that moment, he felt Shin's amazed and delighted reaction. It burst into his mind like a flower blossoming and left him with a giddy, light-headed feeling of glee. The emotion ran through not only Touma, but through the rest of them. Seiji and Ryou were still driving when both of them felt Shin's immense joy and Xiu, pouting in his room about something, asked, WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT'S GOING ON?

A BABY! MUM'S GONNA HAVE A BABY! Shin's shouted mind-voice was like a tidal wave, washing around them and nearly drowning them in his happiness. I'M A BIG BROTHER! He was probably crying, he sounded so happy.

"Touma? Touma-kun? What's wrong?" Okaasan Akane had him by both arms and had been shaking him, but Touma had been so caught up in what Shin was feeling that he hadn't noticed. "Do you feel alright? We can go back, if you don't feel up to this."

"No, no." Touma shook his head and strengthened the barriers around his mind to close out Shin, at least a little. He was glad for Shin, but all that happiness was just a little too distracting. "I'm fine. Shin…he's just so happy. She just told him. Wow." Touma smiled and blinked back some tears. "If you were worried about him being upset, you were completely in the wrong vein. Oh…umm…" He was unprepared for the puzzled look she gave him. Whoever said he was smart, really must have been insane. "Well, it's all part of the whole yoroi thing. Ya know? Telepathy."

"Oh." She blinked then managed a strained smile. "Sorry. I'm afraid I really don't understand all that much about it. You tried so hard to explain it, but it's hard to believe."

"It's true. I promise."

"Touma-kun, I did see the yoroi, remember? You and Shin showed them off when you first got them. It's not your honesty I'm doubting. I know you wouldn't lie to us, but…it's still hard to accept. I wish I understood more so I could be sure you were safe." She looked so worried that Touma was tempted to lie to her.

"You shouldn't worry. We're doing pretty well." If he wanted to lie, he'd have told her that of course they were safe and that there was nothing dangerous about the yoroi at all. "We take care of each other and you wouldn't believe how strong we are. There's nothing for you to worry about."

"I'm a mother, young man. I'll worry regardless." They set off and once they were in the taxi, the yoroi weren't mentioned again. They talked about little things until they reached the psychiatric hospital. The weather, a new newspaper boy who kept throwing the Sunday paper in the bushes, a present for Shin's birthday, and a vacation Jenny was planning to England for their anniversary. "Here we are." She announced when the taxi pulled up in front of the big iron gates of the hospital. While they waited for the guard to come out of the guardhouse to open the gates, okaasan Akane gave Touma an even look. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"No, but I think I have to."

The hospital was white and very neat. The grass was bright, healthy green, neatly trimmed with red and white flowers along the driveway and the narrow walkway around the building. The building itself was white and every window in the building was decorated with green curtains. Just behind those curtains, though, Touma could see bars on the windows and he was glad.

Okaasan Akane was quiet when they left the cab and started up the driveway. If she could feel Touma's unease, she thought it best not to interrupt his thoughts. Instead, when they reached the tall front grates and the guard came out to meet them, she spoke for Touma, telling the man their business.

"I'll need to check your ID, Mouri-san." He obviously recognized her, Touma was sure she hadn't given her name, but that was only to be expected. She was rather famous, after all. He returned from the guardhouse moments later with her license in hand and opened the gate for them. "You'll have the excuse the security, ma'am. It's just protection, you understand. For visitors and for the patients." His eyes wandered to Touma, then back to Shin's okaasan. "You'll have to wait in the main lobby for a doctor and he'll tell you if a visit's a good idea today. Sometimes the patients have good days and bad days."

"We understand. Thank you for the help. Come along, Touma."

Leaving the hospital was no different than getting in, though Touma really didn't think much about it. He was too lost in his own thoughts and what had just seen.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. Wait here, I'll get a cab." It was one thing to talk to okaasan Akane about the weather and school. He didn't want to talk about his emotions, not at a time like this. So Touma left her by the bench just outside the hospital gates and went to the street corner to hail a taxi. His mind, however, wasn't on the cars rushing passed. His mind was on the little pale green interview room he and okaasan Akane had waited in until his father had been brought in. They hadn't been left alone. An orderly, a massive man with arms like tree trunks, had stood just inside the door the whole time, so it wasn't as if they could talk about anything private.

Touma turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder and there was okaasan Akane looking at him so compassionately, that it almost hurt. "What's wrong?"

She didn't even try to smile. "Touma, dear, come and sit. The taxi can wait."

There was no arguing with okaasan Akane, Shin had once told him. Though she was small and delicate, the woman was made of steel. Touma followed her back to the bench and sat next to her, slumping down. For once, she didn't reprimand him for bad posture. "I don't really feel like talking, okaasan Akane. I'll talk to Shin when we get back." YOUR OKAASAN'S FEELING PUSHY. He told Shin.

WHO DO YOU THINK TAUGHT ME? JUST TALK TO HER. IT'S EASIER THAT WAY.

"Are you talking to your friends again?" Okaasan Akane asked, curiously. "You seem to get a far-away look in your eyes when you do."

"Telepathy's cool, huh?" He managed a laugh for her sake. There wasn't anything to be depressed about, really. He knew his dad was sick, so seeing him like that shouldn't have been a big deal. "It can be a pain. Shin likes to meddle. Did I ever tell you that? In school, he used to bully us all the time. Even Seiji and that takes balls." He remembered who he was talking to and looked away. "Sorry."

"What for? You think I've never heard coarse language before?"

"Seiji would smack me for talking like that in front of a lady. Even Xiu might. Anyway, Shin knows almost everything that happens to me, they all do. I can tell you right now, Shin's looking over that new nursery with his mum. Seiji's at his place helping grandfather Date make dinner. Xiu's not very happy with his papa, but that's nothing new, lately. Ryou's talking to some weird guy and in about two seconds, if he doesn't get away, Seiji's going to go charging to the rescue."

ONLY IF THAT JACK LUNG CREATURE DOESN'T GET AWAY FROM HIM. Seiji replied, trying to sound calm. FILTHY PERVERT.

I'M FINE. Ryou's words flew back at them. SEE, I'M LEAVING, NOW. HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. But Ryou's feelings of discomfort and unease at the memories meeting Jack Lung were bringing back didn't do much to reassure any of them.

"What is it this time?" Okaasan Akane asked.

"Just…things. The guys were talking. You see how it is. We can't keep out of each other's thoughts unless we do it deliberately and that takes a lot of concentration. It's all because of the yoroi. I wonder if it really was all coincidence."

"All of what?"

"Well, it is kinda odd that we were possessed by the yoroi. We were all friends before it even came along. You know we didn't even have any friends outside our little group and close family. Seiji never trusted anyone other than Xiu, Shin, and me before Ryou came along. Shin once told me he never had a single friend before he came to Japan and he met us. Xiu's really friendly, but he doesn't associate with other people. Ryou's got almost a phobia of being around people outside our group. I can tell you, looking at their minds and knowing myself, none of us even want outside friends. We only need each other." He looked back at her and saw the frown. "Sorry. I talk too much."

"It just worries me, that's all. Shin's my son and you're as dear to me as if you were my own flesh and blood. I'm very fond of your other friends, too. I'm just wondering if it's healthy to think that way."

"It hasn't got anything to do with thinking. It's about feeling. It feels right. We all love our families and there's Nasty and Jun, too. It's not like we're completely isolated. It's just that we don't feel the need to go out and find more friends." Well, Xiu had seemed happy to see that guy outside the Phoenix Rising. What was his name?

MICHAEL. Xiu answered, sharply.

WHAT'S WRONG?

I'LL TELL YOU LATER. DON'T WORRY.

"And what about Nasutei-san, the woman you're all living with. Yes, how is she treating you?"

"Very well. Shin said you might get all over-protective. Jun's a nice kid, too. You'd like him. Without them, I don't think we could have won the war. Nasty always knew everything about the youja and the ma-sho and Jun was such a good little cheerleader. He had the Jewel of Life and that was a big factor in defeating Emperor Arago."

A hand landed on Touma's arm and he looked up, shocked at the touch. He hadn't thought there was anyone around but okaasan. There she was. Soft blonde curls. Bright red lipstick. Eager blue eyes that matched Touma's. "Hello, Touma-kun. It's been a long time."

"Mom?"

Ryou-

Xiu wouldn't say a word about what had made him so upset the entire way to Seiji's home, but some thoughts kept running across his mind. He saw Michael and he saw a roomful of people all sitting around a table at the Phoenix Rising. The only thing he didn't see was what all this had to do with Xiu being angry. It couldn't be Michael. Xiu had been so happy to see Michael the first time. Maybe it was those people. Then again, maybe papa Faun had said something about Seiji. That was enough to always set Xiu off.

"I thought Touma's mom left the family when he was real little."

Xiu nodded, looking more displeased by the moment. Touma wasn't even trying to disguise the distress he was feeling. "She did. I didn't even think he remembered her. What does that woman want?"

Ryou had no answer, he'd obviously never met the woman, but he didn't like what Touma was feeling at that moment any better than Xiu did. The shock and wariness of having his life being up heaved, again. He was just getting used to being part of the Mouri family and now his runaway mom had decided to make a dramatic appearance? It wasn't fair. "You think we should go find him? The hospital isn't that far away."

"Naw. Shin's okaasan can take care of him and he'll ask if he needs help. I think it's all shock, now. We'll go get Shin first. He'll want to help on the daring rescue, anyway." SHIN, ARE YOU STILL AT HOME?

I'LL MEET YOU AT THE THIRD OF JINJOPO. Shin's reply was instant and everyone got the suddenly image of Shin's kissing his mum good-bye and rushing out of the house. TOUMA'S WORRIED. HIS MOM HEARD HIM TALKING TO OKAASAN ABOUT THE YOROI.

SO? Ryou didn't see the point. Most people wouldn't believe that sort of thing. He certainly wouldn't if he wasn't involved in the whole thing.

SO, SHE'S A REPORTER. SHE'S LIKELY TO PUT EVERYTHING DOWN IN WRITING.

SHE CAN'T! Xiu protested. NO ONE'S GOING TO BELIEVE A STORY LIKE THAT. THEY'LL THINK IT'S ALL FANTASY.

NOT IF SHE CAN GET PROOF. Shin's doom filled thoughts were depressing for all of them.

For the first time in ages, Seiji spoke. IF SHE CAN GET TOUMA TO PROVE IT, TO SHOW HER THE ORB, WE COULD ALL BE IN TROUBLE. SHE COULD GET PHOTOS. The idea of being at the center of such a potential circus clearly terrified Seiji. SHE'LL HARASS NASTY. Seiji paused. I'M IN THE CAR NOW. WAIT AT THIRD AND JINJOPO. I'LL MEET YOU THERE IN FIVE MINUTES.

Normally, Ryou knew, it took twenty minutes to drive from the Date house to Jinjopo. Seiji never did have much concern for speed limits and other such inconveniences.

True to his word, Seiji pulled up at the street corner just seconds after Ryou and Xiu arrived and they sped off together.  
Ryou leaned over Seiji's shoulder. "Was it there?"

"Right where you left it." Seiji answered.

Xiu frowned at them. "What are you talking about?"

"My sword. I left it under Seiji's bed."

"Why?"

"It's special and I didn't want it broken or lost during the war." Ryou thought of the sword, fondly. He remembered his mother sitting with him on the rocking chairs outside the cabin admiring it. "The Ryouken was beautiful. I think it was probably the most expensive thing we ever owned."

Xiu blinked at Ryou, Touma's plight momentarily forgotten. "You named a sword after yourself?"

"No. I was named after the sword. Mom was REAL fond of it."

Touma-

"But, Touma-san, I know what I heard."

Touma wanted nothing more than to flag down a cab with okaasan Akane and leave, but…on the other hand…she was his mom. "Uh…mom…?"

She moved from behind him to sit next to him on the bench. She didn't so much as glance at okaasan Akane when she pushed her way between them, shoving okaasan Akane off the bench. "Touma-san, you must tell mother what's been happening. Yoroi? Youja? I come here to see your father and what's this I find? Who is Emperor Arago?" She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at okaasan Akane rudely. "You're hanging out with an older woman telling such stories. I really must know what's going on."

She was beautiful. No one could deny that. She didn't have okaasan Akane's refined kind of perfection, but a more fashion model beauty. Her skin was tanned and her dark hair colored blond. Something about her, Touma was sure, was ugly. He didn't like the intense way she was looking at him. The way her eyes shone or the possessive way her fingers clamped around Touma's wrist. Most of all, he didn't like the way she shoved okaasan Akane out of the way. But she was his mom. He'd always wanted her to come back. "Where've you been, mom?" The trial had made national headlines and she was a newspaper reporter. There was no way she couldn't have known about it.

An airy laugh showed that she didn't think much of the question or she didn't see Touma's concern as being very serious. "Around." She gestured to a man Touma hadn't noticed before. "You remember your uncle Kenji, right? Well. I suppose," She giggled, a sound that grated on Touma's ears. "I suppose that would be stepfather Kenji, now. Did you see what he gave me?" She shoved her hand up to Touma's face showing off a huge, sparkling diamond right and a gold wedding band. "Lovely, isn't it?"

No. Touma hadn't remembered uncle Kenji. In fact, in the later days of his life with his father, Touma had begun to suspect that uncle Kenji was just another part of his dad's ramblings and that maybe his mom had just died or left. He'd never seen a picture of uncle Kenji in any of the photo albums. It must be true, though. Uncle Kenji looked just like Touma's dad. The same blue hair that Touma had inherited. The same nose and same wide, thin mouth. "Hi." So, at least that part had all be true. His mom had run off with his uncle.

Uncle Kenji nodded, but said nothing. He didn't look entirely happy.

"When I heard about your father, I thought I just had to come here and see him."

"It's been a year, mom."

"Yes, well…one does get busy."

How could Touma have nearly forgotten okaasan Akane? She proved, once again, that she was not a person to be just pushed aside.

Seiji-

"You realize I can't flirt with you, anymore." Seiji said it, half-joking, but it was rather disappointing. Ryou was fun to flirt with. He blushed easily and never really took it seriously.

"I'm heartbroken." Ryou told him lightly. "You can half-way flirt, if you want. We're only half-brothers, after all. Where is Jinjopo?" It was the fancier side of the city and Ryou had never had reason to go there before. There were no shelters here or whores on the street corners. There were men in nice suits carrying briefcases rushing around. There were immensely tall buildings made of gleaming glass. If Seiji hadn't seen the might of the Youja-Kai and if he hadn't been in Arago's monstrous palace, he would be impressed. He used to be. It wasn't all that long ago that he'd walked with his mom to the hospital where she worked.

"Not far. Just a few more blocks." Seiji cursed loudly when they had to stop at a red light. Under the best of circumstances, he hated stop lights and this wasn't the best of circumstances. It was strange. Normally, Seiji was very patient. He could spend a whole weekend reading a single book just to get every nuance of it. He could wait for days for the weather conditions to be just right for a spell or a ceremony. One thirty second red light could drive him bananas. "I don't know why we're rushing. It's not like this is a real emergency. She can't possibly hurt him and there's no reason for her to try."

Xiu tapped on the window with his fingernails impatiently. "You don't see him walking away from her, do you? If she wants, she can take him away, I'll bet."

Seiji turned to Xiu sharply. "She can't! She hasn't even seen him since Touma was, what? Four?"

"Somewhere around there. Shin's parents are more his parents than his mom and dad were. Hell, my mama and papa were better parents for Touma. It's not fair! She can't just turn up out of the blue and take advantage of him!"

Taking advantage was right. From everything Seiji was feeling from Touma he was more vulnerable facing his estranged mother than he had been all the time they'd been battling against Arago.

Seiji quietly muttered a spell of protection for Touma, though he still wasn't entirely sure it would work, almost without thinking.

It was the first he'd said in a very long time.

For nearly a full year Seiji hadn't practiced Wicca. His faith shaken by the appearance of the youri and Korin's possession, Seiji had all but given up on what he'd fought so hard to do. He'd had to put up with his father's mad ramblings about him being a sinner and doomed to Hell. He'd had to deal with his grandfather's disappointment that he wouldn't follow family tradition and be a Buddhist and his mother's worry that he was going to end up hurt. He'd had to live for years without friends because people were afraid of him. Seiji had been so proud of himself and so devoted to what he believed in. He'd studied the few books he could find about Wicca and he'd learned spells and rituals by heart.

Somehow, the idea that energy was neutral and only used by good or evil people, seemed silly with the appearance of the insidious yoroi.

'Or maybe it's not so silly.' Seiji put his hand to his throat and felt the wooden amulet under his shirt. Despite the blow to his faith, Seiji hadn't stopped wearing is pentacle all throughout the wars and it had given him great comfort many times. Even now, just knowing that he had the pentacle made him feel a little calmer.

'Like I know everything. It's all the same. All part of the same circle…all connected. The yoroi, us, the youja, the ma-sho, Earth, the trees…even Arago. It's all a circle.' Seiji had been working on this realization for a few days and it was starting to come together for him. 'So it's okay. It wasn't that I was wrong all this time, I just didn't have all the information. The circle's a little bigger than I thought it was.'

"You're right." Seiji said, at last. "She is taking advantage of him. She must know she's hurting him. If she hasn't seen him since he was four, she may have been looking for him. Them just coincidently meeting outside the hospital is a bit of a leap."

Xiu glowered. "Funny she didn't say a word to him till he mentioned the yoroi and the Youja. Don't suppose you can do anything to her long distance, huh?"

"Don't ask me that." He could. Seiji knew he could do something. It wasn't a question of IF he could. The question was WOULD he. No, he wouldn't. "An it harm none, do what you will." He shot a significant look at Xiu out of the corner of his eye. "Heard it before? Big rule for a witch. I don't hurt people."

"Yeah, yeah." Xiu nodded. "I remember. Just this once you could think about breaking that little rule. It's for Touma. You didn't give it much thought during the war, after all."

Seiji's hand tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "Do NOT ask me to break it." Xiu should know better. He knew how Seiji felt about breaking the Rede. Wasn't it enough that he was going to feel guilty for the rest of his life about what he did during the war? When he died, Seiji knew he would have to look back on the killing he'd done while his soul rested in Summerland. While he worried about that, Seiji happened to look into the rearview mirror and noticed Ryou wasn't paying them much attention. WHAT'S WRONG?

Ryou didn't answer. He was staring out the window with a puzzled look.

A brother. Seiji had never imagined that he had a brother and now that he knew Ryou was his, he rather liked it. It was a shame he couldn't flirt anymore. Still, at least this meant, as Ryou's brother, that he could have the fun of helping Ryou to find a soul mate. Just imagine…he could help with homework and get into squabbles. Nag Ryou about anything. Teasing. 'Wish I'd had him when we were younger. We could have had pillow fights. I suppose we still can. I think I'd rather have a pillow fight with Xiu, though.' "Ryou. Are you even listening?"

"He walked all this way?"

There was a boy…no. A little man standing on the street corner staring at Seiji's car. There was no mistaking it. He was staring right into Seiji's car. "You know him?"

"At the rest stop. I met him in the woods. He can't have walked all this way. We've come miles and its only been a few hours."

The light turned green and Seiji looked away from the little man. Maybe that was his mistake. Something, Seiji wasn't sure what, dashed out in front of the car. It might have been a child, for all that it was small. Whatever it was moved so quickly that it was nothing more than a blur of color. He thought that it might keep running, but just at the last moment it stopped right in front of the car.

There was a face and the eyes looked directly at Seiji. Intelligent eyes.

Seiji stomped on the brakes and heard the squeal of the tires against pavement. Xiu gasped in fear and automatically clutched at Seiji's arm. Ryou yelled.

The car tumbled.

Touma-

He heard the others when they were so outraged on his behalf, but didn't speak to them. He knew they were coming. Shin was angry, but he always seemed to be angry when it involved Touma's family. More to the point, okaasan Akane wasn't smiling. Strange. She was almost always happy. At least she was never angry. Now, though, as she stood next to Touma, who still sat on the bench with his mom, and there was a queer little stress line right between her eyebrows.

"I came to speak with your father." Touma's mom fluttered her eyelashes at him. "It's been such a long time and I was very curious about what was going on when I saw the trial on the news. There were other things to tie up before I could come. We were on our honeymoon." She smiled up at uncle Kenji fondly. "Then there were a few assignments for work I just couldn't pass up. Dear Kenji had got a promotion at his work and…"

"Mom," Touma interrupted. "Dad tried to kill me." He could feel his heart beating too fast. "He almost killed my friend. I had to go on trial in front of the whole world. And you," He found the words hard to choke out. "You were busy?"

She didn't seem at all concerned about it and dismissed it aside with a wave of her hand. "Enough of that. I spoke with his doctor on the phone and she told me he was just getting in a state where he's ready to talk to people. I thought I'd get an interview for the paper. You know, a loved-ones point of view on a man's slow descent into madness and how the world could have overlooked it."

Okaasan Akane put a hand on Touma's shoulder and squeezed it. "Yes, well…if you must." She gave a shark-like smile to Touma's mom. "We really must be heading home."

It made Touma's mom look at her sharply. "I know your face, don't I? You do look familiar. Oh, yes. You were once a famous geisha. Mouri-san." She looked okaasan Akane up and down. "Well, age will do terrible things."

The insult was taken with a smile and Touma admired okaasan Akane all the more for it. "Age is a wonderful achievement. It brings wisdom, something that many younger people lack." She wasn't even old. At most, she was maybe forty and she was still the most beautiful woman Touma had ever seen. Okaasan Akane gave Touma a light slap on the arm. "Come along, Touma-kun. The others will be worried for us."

Touma stood without anymore urging, but so did his mom.

"No!" She put her hands possessively on Touma's arm but glared at okaasan Akane. "You aren't taking my son anywhere!"

Okaasan Akane took her hand off Touma's shoulder and folded her hands in front of her, a sure sign she was gearing up for a fight. "Oh?"

"That's right! He's my son and now that his father's no longer capable of looking after him, he's mine!"

"His father hasn't been capable of looking after him for nearly seven years. Where have you been?"

"That's besides the point. You're not even a relative. I'm his mother." She said this as if it were a point of pride. "I saw you on the news during his trial." She turned up her nose. "A lesbian couple raising my son? I don't think so. Not only lesbian, but you're living with a foreign woman with a child of her own. If I remember properly, that boy has his own history of problems with the law."

Touma knew the signs of a battle. He stepped cautiously out from between the women.

"Your son calls me okaasan." It was a low dig, but one that must have struck a nerve. Touma's mom winced, but okaasan Akane didn't stop there and continued the verbal assault. "My wife and I went to his trial with him. We sat with him in the hospital several times when his father was too drunk to do anything but drool on the floor and you, apparently, were pursuing your own life. For a full year, I have had legal custody of Touma-kun." She darted one arm out and took Touma's hand. "If you want him back so badly, you'll have to fight for him!" She turned on her heel, still clutching at Touma's hand and pulled him away.

"Touma!" His mom called out. "Tell me what you were talking about. What Yoroi? What youja?" He heard the clatter of her high heeled shoes just moments before she trotted up beside him and stopped them with a hand to Touma's chest and a filthy look shot at okaasan Akane. "Just tell me. Were you serious?" She licked her lips almost nervously. "Look, tell me what's going on and my paper will pay good money for it. Even if it's nothing, my paper will pay for your side of the story about your father. Tell me what happened, everything."

She only wanted to talk to him for that? Touma felt his wish to have his mother step back into his life die. She had overheard a conversation and was just interested in it for another news story.

Touma pulled away from her. "Go ask dad if you're so curious. Hope your visit's as pleasant as mine was." How his dad had laughed when Touma had walked into the interview room. Dressed in the white pajamas all the patients wore with a glassy look in his eyes that bespoke of the medication he'd taken. He'd muttered and mumbled until drool ran down his chin about what a bad boy Touma was for leaving him before he'd broken down in tears begging…screaming…for forgiveness. Whom he was asking, Touma really wasn't sure.

It was then that the fear hit him. Touma stopped dead in his tracks and became oblivious to everything around him except the fear screaming at him through the link. It was over so quickly. The intense fear faded, replace by pain. Pain so awful that it overrode everything else. It bore down on Touma so badly that he fell to his knees with a cry and only his own pain of hitting the cement made him realize that it wasn't his own pain but that of Seiji, Xiu, and Ryou that he was feeling. It woke him up enough to know that okaasan Akane was on her knees next to him and his mom was looking at him, confused.

"We…" Touma took a deep breath and tried to convince himself that it wasn't his pain that made his throat hurt so badly. He didn't want to think what had happened to Xiu to make his throat hurt like that. "We have to go."

CAR ACCIDENT! Shin told him, nearly panicked. I SAW IT. I WAS TALKING TO XIU WHEN IT HAPPENED, I SAW IT ALL. SOMETHING RAN OUT IN THE STREET AND SEIJI SWERVED TO MISS IT. THE CAR ROLLED. THEY'RE HURT.

I'M COMING. BRINGING OKAASAN AKANE, TOO. There was no reason to waste time. Touma rose up, but was washed over with pain in his throat again. Xiu was awake and trying to move. Shin whispered at Xiu as gently as he could to lay still. Seiji was no help, he was barely conscious.

BLOCK YOUR MIND. Shin told Touma. MUM'S DRIVING ME THERE. I THINK YOU'RE CLOSER. THEY WERE ONLY BLOCKS AWAY FROM YOU AT A STOP LIGHT.

Of course Touma didn't entirely block his mind, but he did the best he could to block out the worst of the pain. That left the women to deal with. Well, there was only one he wanted to deal with and the other mess could be sorted out later. Touma turned to okaasan Akane. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course, but…"

"No 'buts'. Sorry, but there's no time." He picked her up easily and thanked any gods that might be listening that she was so small. "Hang on. I won't drop you, I promise." Then, with his mom's yell fading behind them, Touma started running.

"What's going on?" Okaasan Akane asked as Touma picked up speed.

Turning a corner, Touma took a look over his shoulder to make sure his mom and uncle hadn't followed. When he was sure that they were alone on the side walk he concentrated on the orb in his pocket. "You wanted to know about the yoroi, right? Well, here it is." He called the yoroi and was almost instantly encased it in. His speed increased so suddenly that he heard okaasan Akane squeal in fright, but he didn't dare stop. They reached the accident in mere seconds.

The accident was easy to find. Seiji's lovely green car, his pride, was overturned and sitting half-way on the sidewalk on its roof. Seiji, was hanging upside-down in the driver's seat. A tiny river of blood was leaking from a deep cut right in the middle of his forehead. It stained his hair an awful pink. Xiu wasn't so lucky.

"Damned fool." Touma felt like he couldn't move, even though he heard the sirens in the distance and people were beginning to gather.

Okaasan Akane shook his arm. "Put me down and put that yoroi back wherever you got it from. You can't help if everyone's staring at you. Touma, wake up!" She slid out of his arms as soon as he relaxed enough for her to do it, but it took a bit longer for him to realize he needed to put the yoroi away before he could go near the car. The police would be there any minute. Once it was done, okaasan Akane went to the car with him.

"Damned fool." Touma repeated when he knelt next to Xiu. "How many times do I have to tell you to wear your seatbelt?"

Xiu was awake and he blinked up at Touma. There was glass from the windshield everywhere. It was surrounding Xiu like a halo and glittered in his hair. There was no blood, but Touma was afraid. Xiu was awfully pale. His eyes had a sort of distant look. "Hey." He could barely speak.

"Be still." Touma tried to sound angry, but he wanted to cry. Xiu's neck was hurt, somehow. There were other things, on the inside, that were hurt. "Look what you've gone and done. The three of you rushing around. You should have stayed at home!" Touma reached out as if he'd touch Xiu's hair, but hesitated. Neck injuries were bad. Just a touch could kill Xiu. "She's only my mom. I didn't need you coming to the rescue."

Xiu blinked slowly and looked around as best as he could without moving his head. "Man…this reeks. Hurts like the dickens."

Touma almost laughed. "Just don't do anything. I can hear the ambulance and the cops will be here soon."

"Sei-chan. Where's Sei? I can feel him."

"He's in the car." Touma looked up to see okaasan Akane looking into the car window, trying to get the door open. "Okaasan Akane's getting the door open. He's got a crack on the head. You know grandfather Date's gonna beat him for driving so fast." Touma paused and looked up, scanning the surroundings. "Ryou?" There was no answer. "Ryou!"

"Here. D-don't yell." A hand, just behind Seiji's destroyed car, waved weakly. All Touma could see was Ryou's hand, the rest of him was hidden behind the car. "I'm right here. Man…man…my head." Ryou's fingers flexed then relaxed. At least he wasn't too badly hurt. DON'T FEEL SO GOOD. I THINK I'M GOING TO BE SICK.

Touma wanted to go to Ryou, but he didn't quite dare to leave Xiu's side. "The ambulance will be here soon. SEIJI DOESN'T LOOK TOO GOOD, EITHER. OKAASAN AKANE'S CHECKING ON HIM. I GUESS IT'S BEST TO LEAVE HIM UNTIL THE PARAMEDICS GET HERE.

XIU'S HURT.

YEAH.

A fire truck and the ambulance arrived with two police cruisers closer behind. The street was blocked off. Firefights rushed to the car, pushing okaasan Akane out of the way so they could pry the door off with the jaws of life.

Ryou's hand moved, sliding out of sight. TOUMA?

YEAH? He waited a moment, but Ryou didn't answer. HEY, ARE YOU AWAKE? Again, no answer. "Xiu, I'll be right back. If Ryou fell asleep, he might go into shock." But when he stood Shin's mum pulled up to the curb, behind Seiji's car, and Shin jumped out.

"Touma! What happened?"

Touma blinked slowly and frowned. "Is Ryou okay?"

"Huh?"

"You just walked passed him. Is he okay?"

Shin walked back the way he'd come and looked around Seiji's car. He went all the way around, going passed his mum and okaasan watching the firefighters work then looked over the wheels of the car at Touma. Shin looked at Touma and deliberately broadcast his concern. RYOU'S NOT HERE.

I JUST SPOKE TO HIM. I SWEAR!

"Young man, please move." One of the paramedics gently gave Touma a push. "I need to work here. Go stand with the women unless you're hurt. Are you hurt? Were you involved in the accident?"

"No. My friend's missing. There was a third person. Short guy with dark skin. Where is he?"

"Sorry," The paramedic shook his head and started to work on Xiu. "There's no one but these two."

In that instant, Touma felt a sudden, deep agony. It was like part of his soul had been ripped out. A pain so deep he couldn't describe it. An empty hole where Ryou should have been. One look at Shin, with one hand on his heart and one hand on his forehead, told Touma that Shin felt it, too. Shin slowly crumpled to the ground, his mothers rushing to his side.

There was a piece missing. Ryou was gone. Not dead, Touma was sure he'd know if Ryou had died. He was just…gone. It hurt. An ice pick through the heart…a thousand bee stings…skinned alive, nothing could compare to the pain of losing part of one's self. Xiu passed out from the pain and Touma felt himself starting to follow. The paramedic grabbed him and said something, but Touma wasn't listening. Ryou was gone.

The world went black, but the pain and emptiness remained.

Youja Kai-  
Rajura-

How could it have happened? He'd thought he'd gotten away from her. Thousands of years had rolled by, drifting passed like a warm spring breeze. Why did she have to show her ugly face now?

'Sedari…won't you just leave me alone?'

Rajura lay on his bed thinking over and over about what Anubisu had told him just a few hours ago.

"…someone following me and asked me to hand you over to them. They offered some real good incentives…offered me money, women and men, and power, if I'd give you up to him. Funny looking little guy. Had the strangest eyes you've ever seen. …his Lady-Queen was eager to see you, again."

There was only one Lady-Queen. Sedari. She should be dead, after so long. It wasn't right for anyone, not even a fae to live so long. Why hadn't someone assassinated her, yet? Surely she must have given birth to at least one spawn who wanted her throne. That Anubisu had met one of Sedari's agents worried him even more. Of course, they didn't know his newest name, Anubisu must have recognized a description of him. The big question was what had Anubisu said to this agent and how could Rajura question Anubisu without getting him involved. Getting involved with the fae was almost as dangerous as insulting a wyrm. If Rajura had to deal with this, he wanted do it alone.

It was no good. Rajura just couldn't get to sleep. Instead of laying there any longer and staring at the ceiling, Rajura rose and pulled on his robe. LOCATION. He commanded in mind-speak.

Immediately, everyone answered. BEDCHAMBERS. Naaza was the first one awake, apparently.

BATHHOUSE. Anubisu answered. AND I WASN'T ASLEEP.

I'M…IN THE GARDEN. UMMM…BY THE STAIRS. Kayura's hesitant answer was the last one. WHAT'S GOING ON?

NOTHING, Rajura told her. GO TO BED, IT'S LATE.

Kayura didn't answer and Rajura really didn't expect her to. This was the first time he'd contacted her since she'd stepped in Sh'ten's place so he expected that she was surprised at being spoken to at all. Though she didn't say anything else, the other two weren't nearly so timid and Rajura heard them both ask at once what was going on.

JUST CHECKING IN.

Naaza snorted. YOU HAVE AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE.

YES, USUALLY. GO BACK TO SLEEP IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE DOING. I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHERE EVERYONE WAS.

Rajura spent a good deal of time wandering around the palace. He had no idea how long he spent doing that, but it was long enough that when he stopped outside the bathhouse, his feet were sore and he was exhausted. He sat one of the benches outside the bathhouse to rest, but thoughts of rest vanished when he idly opened his mind and felt Anbusiu's happiness and confusion.

IT'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. LIGHTFOOT'S BACK. I HAVEN'T SEEN HER FOR AGES.

Lightfoot. The wrym.

I SEE.

Then Rajura shielded his mind, to give the illusion of privacy, but he didn't leave. Instead, he called to his animal, the spider, and waited until one of them appeared. When it did, Rajura picked up the tiny spider and gave it explicit instructions. The spider unquestioningly did as it was told and crept into the bathhouse so Rajura could see what was going on by watching through the spider's eyes.

It was most…informative.

Anubisu-

"Little brother, if you soak much longer, one thinks thee wilt turn into a fish."

Seeing Lightfoot again was the best thing that had happened to Anubisu all day. Anubisu nearly jumped out of the hot bath and flung his arms around Lightfoot. "Where hast thou been, little sister! I've not seen thee in ages."

"Around. There was much to be done." She licked his face and, for a moment, life was simple again. "Thine eldest brother draws near."

"He feels how happy I am to see you again, that's all." Anubisu settled himself down next to Lightfoot.

"Tell him to keep away."

"Why?"

"There are private matters we should discuss, little brother. Things I wish to tell thee."

Anubisu did as Lightfoot asked and felt Rajura close his mind to give them privacy. In fact, he was a little surprised that Rajura did it so quickly without question. Normally nosey, Rajura would usually put up more of a fight.

"Little brother," Lightfoot put her paw on Anubisu's chest to bring his attention back to her. "Art thee listening? Such important matters, secrets I should have told thee long ago. Thee must forgive me when I point out some details that should have been obvious to you."

"What kind of things?" In all honesty, he really didn't care. Why should he care if Lightfoot kept a few secrets? Goodness knows he had a few of his own. Besides, there was so much else to think about. Rajura was doing a bloody awful job with Kayura, but Anubisu figured even Rajura was allowed to mourn, so there was no point in holding it against him. He'd get over it in time and get on with the job of training their new sister. Anubisu pulled himself completely out of the warm water and sat on the tiled edge of the bathhouse. It was their one luxury Arago had allowed. Not actually a house, it was a large room used solely for a hot bath was that as big as a small pond. It was one of the best ideas Rajura had ever had.

Lightfoot sat next to him, but didn't lay down when Anubisu lay on the floor to warm himself on the heated tiles. It made him feel better to just be in the bathhouse, the warmest place in the Youja Kai it was often where Naaza was found, also. "Why hast thee not gone back to thine mother?" The question was asked as calmly as if she'd just asked about the weather and it took Anubisu a moment to realize what she'd said. She sat looking down at him with little more than faint curiosity.

"Huh?"

That eloquent question made Lightfoot irritated enough to snap at Anubisu's face, bring her deadly jaws just inches from his face. "Thee hast more sense than to grunt. I asked thee, why hast thou not visited thine mother and grandsire?"

"How do you even know about them?" It was entirely possible that Lightfoot had met with Anubisu's mother and Abraham, but very unlikely. She had been gone for the entire war. Maybe that's where she'd been, to see Anubisu's other family. Funny. He hadn't thought of them in a long time. "Did you meet them?"

Lightfoot blinked and looked wolfishly puzzled before she gave a barking sort of laugh. "Thee hast not realized, truly?"

"Realized what?" Anubisu rolled over a little and took a deep breath of her scent. He'd missed her a great deal.

"How many wolves have you spoken to in your life, little brother?"

It struck Anubisu first that she'd changed her way of speaking. It threw him off enough that he sat up to look her in the face before he spoke. "Just you."

"And how many wolves live as long as I have?"

"Just you." Now that she said it, it was kind of odd. "Is there a point to all this?"

"The point is that you are a fool, though I love you like my own blood." She softened the insult with a lick on Anubisu's face. "I am NOT a wolf, little brother."

"You look like a wolf. You smell like a wolf."

"Yet, I speak. I have lived for many thousands of years. I was old when your grandsire was a babe in his mother's arms. Little brother, I am NOT a wolf. You must believe that."

"I do." He was starting to get a bad feeling about all this. Anubisu knew for a fact that Abraham was much older than even Rajura. How old did that make Lightfoot? "What are you?"

"I am often called a wyrm. A dragon, to some. A crawling, creeping thing to others. I can take whatever guise I chose, slip into any life I wish. Some people have viewed me to have the mighty power of the legendary dragons. Others see me as a cowardly thing that doesn't chose to make its true self known. I am simply me. Long ago, I was called Enkidu and you, my brother, remind me of one I once loved. He was glorious. He was perfection. You are so like Gilgamesh. He was tall and strong, very brave. Always willing to throw himself into a battle. I think that's why I liked you in the first place."

"You were a pup, then."

"As I wished you to believe. I am here for a reason, not to tell you of who I once was. Rajura has given you back your memories?"

Now there was a painful thing to think about. So, Lightfoot was in on all of that, too. "Yes."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And when are you going to see Ryou? I've been protecting him for you throughout the war." Her tone suggested that she would be mighty unhappy if Anubisu didn't appreciate her gesture. "For that matter, your grandsire and mother were also involved in this conspiracy with Rajura. Now that you remember them, you should go to them and prove that you are alive and healthy. They are beginning to worry."

"What do you mean, you've been protecting him? How?"

Lightfoot seemed to waver in Anubisu's vision and then was gone, replaced by that monstrous white tiger. "This was an effective disguise."

Anubisu rolled away from Lightfoot, or Byakuen, or whatever the name was, and got to his feet. Just what he wanted. More things to think about. Without saying a word, he went to one of the low benches and grabbed his robe from where he'd dropped it.

Okay.

Lightfoot wasn't Lightfoot.

Ryou was never going to remember him.

Abraham was looking for him, which might or might not be a good thing.

Rajura was being an ass about Kayura.

Naaza was having those damned nightmares again and it was because of Anubisu. 

Plus, now that he knew Abraham was looking for him, how in the world was Anubisu supposed to hunt without the risk of being found?

"Little brother?"

"I need a moment." He didn't turn back to look at the tiger. What hurt worst of all was that Lightfoot wasn't who he'd always thought she was. Losing Ryou was bad enough, but at least he knew he'd given up Ryou to save him. Lightfoot had deceived him for centuries.

There was the soft padding of feet against the floor and when Anubisu did turn around again, Lightfoot was gone.

'Didn't even say good-bye. Maybe she won't come back, again.' Anubisu hung his head. He knew he'd made another mistake, but couldn't for the life of him figure out how or what to do about it. 'What do I want? I want Ryou. I want my family happy. I want my friend back.' He paused and thought about his dear mother and Abraham who made him feel so uncomfortable. 'Yeah. I guess I want them back, too.'

In the back of his mind, somewhere that didn't normally touch Rajura, Naaza, or Kayura, Anubisu felt a tingle of fear. It wasn't his fear. It was Ryou's. The tingle became stronger until it was a whisper and crept down Anubisu's spine like a thousand-legged insect marching down his back. That he could still feel Ryou in such a slight way amazed Anubisu. He'd never had such a strong bond outside of his family. To be honest, it frightened him a little. Ryou was only mortal, after all.

If Ryou didn't remember anything of him, maybe it would be best for Anubisu to ignore Ryou. The feeling he was getting from Ryou was growing, though. It was getter louder and clearer, almost impossible to ignore.

The Wyrm-

It had never been sure if it liked the name Byakuen or Lightfoot better. It had known Anubisu since he had been Kujuurou in the wide expanse of Egypt long ago, but Ryou was a relatively new discovery. While it loved Anubisu like a treasured pet, Ryou was a shy beast just peering out of the darkness.

An odd comparison, but there was none more apt. It knew what Anubisu would do from one moment to the next. It knew Anubisu's thought patterns and habits, what he wanted from life and how strong his love of life was. Ryou, It had found when he was only a cub, a tiny, mewling thing still clutching at his mother's skirts. It wasn't Ryou's power that had drawn It to him, but something all together different. There was something special about Ryou that few other creatures possessed. His good-nature. All right, so it didn't sound like much of an advantage, but it was enough to draw the wryms attention to Ryou.

It had never been so pleased as when it had learned that Anubisu and Ryou had formed a bond.

"I was wondering when you'd show up."

Rajura was not without his interesting qualities and his stealth was the best of all of them. The wyrm stopped in mid-stride and turned to face Rajura who stood there, in the middle of the great Youja Kai grasslands as if he'd just stepped out of his bed chambers. His hair was loose about his shoulders and his kimono impeccable. That was something the wrym had never been able to understand. Why did Rajura take a Japanese name even before he'd given himself up to Arago's domination? If anyone were to ask, he would tell them that his name was Kuroda Jirougorou. It was a lie and not a very well concealed one. His hair was so blonde it was nearly white. His one eye was blue as ice. He was very clearly not Japanese.

Without the need to disguise itself, the wyrm shifted into its natural form, standing slightly taller than Rajura. "You know why I've come."

"Yes." Rajura answered, quietly. "You've come for Anubisu. Well, you're going to have to wait. He doesn't seem to be up to seeing Recca at the moment."

"Ryou. His name is Ryou. Why do you think he is not feeling up to a simple meeting?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea." Rajura looked up, away from the wyrm towards the closed doors of the bathhouse. "Something's wrong." The words were hardly out of his mouth before they heard an outraged scream erupted from within the bathhouse. Both Rajura and the wrym shot through the doors where they found Anubisu on the floor near the bath, kneeling with the palms of his hands on the floor in front of him. His eyes were wide and staring with a vicious snarl on his lips.

"Took him!" Anubisu growled, furiously. "They hurt him and they took him!"

Ryou-

When Ryo woke he was being dragged.

"It's all right." A voice whispered to Ryo as he woke slowly. "Just relax. Don't say a word."

Ryo felt as if he were having a terrible hangover. His vision was blurred, though slowly coming back into focus, and everything hurt. Ryou hadn't felt so weak in a long time. He felt drained, empty. The fear set in when he realized he was alone inside his own mind. He was completely alone.

"You were drugged, but nothing lethal. Just enough to make you...pliable."

To be continued…. 


	8. In the Darkness

Chapter 8: In the Darkness…

Bion-

It was Bion who'd darted out into the street and caused the car accident. He knew that, most likely, the driver would be startled enough to do something stupid. Bion had watched the car when it stopped at the corner. There he was, sitting in the back. Ryou. The perfect bait for this trap he would lay for Ari.

The whole problem was that he had to get Ryou away from the other humans in order to make the capture easier. That, it turned out, was more difficult that it sounded. The only Time Ryou had been away from his companions was a short while when he was in a rougher part of the Midgard city and was speaking with a man. Ryou had stayed in public places, never stepping for a moment in a lonely alley or the shadows. Taking the boy quietly was looking more and more difficult.

So he'd followed Ryou up until this point and, seeing him so close in the car, Bion decided that he couldn't give up this chance. If the dhampire, Kuujurou were to find out that Bion was stalking Ryou, it would be big trouble. All the more trouble if the dhampire's master were to take offense.

The boys in the car were talking about something but that really made no difference to Bion. He waited until the car started moving again before he dashed out into the street as fast as he could. As he expected, the car swerved, it's tires squealing loudly on the street. The car flipped twice, one of the front seat passengers was thrown through the windshield and landed roughly , bouncing once before he rolled onto his back. When the car stopped, the driver hung from his seatbelt like a limp doll before it came to a stop near the sidewalk.

No cars stopped to help, which surprised Bion a bit. He had thought that maybe he would have to fend off other humans to get to Ryou. Bion knew he was lucky when it turned out that humans didn't help each other.

He went closer to the smoking wreck of a car and hoped that he hadn't killed Ryou. That would do at all. At the best, that would only irritate the dhampire and that, Bion wanted to avoid at all costs.

The boy was still alive. In fact, he was in better condition that the rest of the passengers. Ryou managed to crawl from the car, though weakly. On his hands and knees he worked his way out of the car after kicking open the door. He watched Ryou struggle out, then lay himself on the ground. He had hoped that Ryou would just pass out. That would have made things so much easier.

Instead, Ryou was awake and when someone else rushed onto the scene Ryou started talking to him.

'If I wait any longer, I'll miss this chance.' A siren announced that more humans was on their way. Bion took Ryou. As quick as a flash, he pulled the boy far enough behind the car that the other boy wouldn't even see his outstretched hand and, just as Ryou managed to look up and see who was moving him, Bion took him to Tintagel.

It wasn't a pleasant way to travel, but it was the only way to get from Midgard to Tintagel.

Midgard to Tintagle, though they were closely related, were not the same world. In fact, they were so far from the same that they were very similar. Not that that made any sense, even to Bion. There was a feeling of weightlessness and there was darkness. To find the place he wanted to be, Bion had to find the right thread and when he found it, he was in the forest near the Udir and Ryou was draped over his shoulder.

'The dhampire won't be able to dismiss this. He'll come searching for the boy and then I'll have him. When I have him, I'll have Ari.'

On his shoulder, Ryou stirred and groaned painfully.

Bion held him securely. "You'll be fine." He patted the back of Ryou's leg to comfort the boy. It was foolish. Ryou was unconscious, he couldn't hear a thing Bion said. The boy was probably dying from that wound on his head. All through the short trek through the forest, Bion couldn't help his thoughts. 'Fine. He won't be fine. He might not be.'

There were legends…rumors…about the connection vampires shared with those who shared their blood and with the mortals they chose as companions. Unless the vampire was careful not to let them become too close psychically, separating them could mean death for one or both of them. They were so often became mentally and emotionally dependant on each other.

If the bond was that strong with a normal vampire, who knew what kind of effect it would have on the rare dhampire? Bion had no idea what kind of effect it was going to have, separating them like this. Then again, maybe it would make no difference at all.

Only when Bion came close to his home did he smell her.

The smell made his lips curl back in a silent snarl and almost made him forget his precious burden.

He heard her singing before he came within sight of his home by the lazy river Udir. It enraged Bion to know that she was there, so close to his mate and their daughter, but his fear was greater than his anger. All he knew was that it was a fae female. For all he knew it could be the Lady-Queen come to make good on her threat to hurt Jildan.

It was a dilemma. He had his bait and was ready to set the trap for the dhampire which would draw out Ari. The Lady-Queen could spoil all his hard work. That would be just like her. Stupid sow.

Cautiously, Bion carried his burden to the source of the singing and found that it was not the Lady-Queen as he'd feared, but an unfamiliar fae. When Bion came into view, she must have heard him because she turned at just that moment and looked right at him. She was a typical fae in almost every respect. She was tall and willowy, fragile as glass and fair as moonlight with the platinum hair that was so common amongst the fae. There was something different, though. Her eyes lacked the dullness of every fae Bion had ever met.

The thing that made Bion stop in his tracks was the fact that she was sitting on the ground. In her pretty white dress, she was sitting on the muddy banks of the Udir river, dangling her bare feet in the water. "Dog." she spit the word with more venom than an adder. "Filthy dog. Have you returned to cause more trouble?"

"What are you doing here?" As if she had any right to question him in his own home. Of course she did. She was fae and he was only an imp.

"A duty to a friend." She pulled her feet out of the water and stood up, though she didn't take her eyes off Bion. "What is that rubbish over your shoulder. Is…" Her voice trailed off when she actually looked at who Bion was carrying, but that didn't improve her temper. She screeched almost unintelligibly. "What have you done, dog! Take your slimy claws off him!"

Bion had never seen a fae so emotional and it took him off guard. He did as she said and let Ryou fall to the ground. Fortunately, Ryou was so out of it, that he didn't so much as make a sound when he fell. It gave him room to watch this strange fae when she fairly flew to Ryou and threw herself down beside him.

There was passion in this female unlike any other fae Bion had never seen. Her eyes glittered in rage when she looked at Bion and grew watery with tears when she looked at Ryou. When she bend over him, her long pale hair fell around her face like a curtain and she irritably brushed it away with the back of her hand.

"Ryou? Oh, my dear. Wake up. Oh!" She put her fingers to the bloody gnash across his forehead and Bion noticed that her fingers shook in distress. Another unusual thing for a fae. "You've hurt him." She gave Bion a hateful look.

"It was necessary. I'm acting under orders of the Lady-Queen. If you have a problem, take it up with her." Lying was probably pointless. She might not be the Lady-Queen, but all fae were powerful in their own right. This one might be even more dangerous because it seemed to Bion that she wasn't under the influence of any kind of glamour. She didn't have the normal blank stare Bion usually associated with the fae. It was possible, however unlikely, that she wasn't under the Lady-Queen's control. "You know him."

She looked at Bion sharply again, then her eyes narrowed in a calculating manner. "I am Jomai, third daughter of the Ta'lin clan. My family has served the Lady-Queen as tailors for many generations."

"Pleased to meet you. Since you're in my home, I presume that you already know my name."

"Bion Na Underic. I was a friend of your mate's."

"I find that hard to believe. She had few friends outside her own family." He didn't add that she detested the fae as much as he did.

"You were gone for three decades. Things changed. The birth of your daughter, for one. Jildan asked me to take care of your daughter until you returned. Liun is quite the handful."

Baby. The baby had finally been born. He was a father, at last. "You didn't answer my question." Bion fought hard not to look at the light in his home. His daughter was inside, but he couldn't go to her and that made him hate the fae even more. "How do you know the boy?"

Jomai-

As if it was really any of the imp's business how she'd come to know Ryou. Jomai hadn't even meant for it to happen. She stroked Ryou's forehead, careful of the still bloody gnash that marred his face. "How I know Ryou is my affair." Jomai looked up from Ryou to the ugly little man and wanted to kill him. It wasn't often that she wanted to kill, but this thing had drawn dear little Ryou's blood! 'If he wasn't mated to Jildan…'

Bion wasn't about to be deterred by Jomai's anger, though. He slid a little closer, keeping within arm's reach of Ryou. "It's my affair, also, I'm afraid. He belongs to me." When Jomai opened her mouth to protest, he added, "By order of the Lady-Queen Sedari. He's rather important to her, in a round about way."

Now that was just ridiculous! What interest could the Lady-Queen possibly have in little Ryou?

Jomai couldn't help but remember when they'd met. In the long lifespan of a fae, her time with Ryou was nothing more than a heartbeat. Funny that it would leave such an impact.

Flashback-

He was small and skinny with a starved look to him. His clothes were too thin for the cold night, but that seemed fitting. Everything about him was deficient. Almost timidly, the boy stepped into the doorway of the shelter and looked around. He didn't see Jomai, at first, but let his eyes linger on the fireplace and the rows of small cots.

Just looking at him make Jomai thankful that she'd decided to live as a human for a while.

If anyone had ask Jomai why she'd left the court of the Lady-Queen Sedari, she couldn't have given them a straight answer. The fact was that Jomai was bored in the Lady-Queen's court. Perhaps it was because she'd known the king before Sedari had murdered him, but she found the ravings and the machinations of the young Lady- Queen to be more than a little tiring. The king had been grand and majestic, a true credit to the fae people. It was he who'd made the fae army the best and he who'd made one proud to be fae.

It was the nature of the fae to be devious and underhanded, though, so when word circulated that princess Sedari had become the Lady-Queen everyone knew what had happened. No one blamed her. She was fae and royalty, at that. She was supposed to do things like that. No one was really surprised, either. The king had been especially proud when his only daughter had caused her older brother to 'slip' off the balcony. He had been delighted when two of her male cousins who, it was rumored, had been plotting Sedari's murder, had vanished without a trace.

It made one wonder if he'd been surprised when she'd killed him. He must have been expecting it. He raised her to be ambitious and have no qualms about using her vast power. So whatever had happened in his bedroom so late at night that had caused his death, he probably wasn't surprised. Maybe he had even smiled when she'd raised her hand against him for the last time.

Still, even after knowing all that, Jomai probably wouldn't have left Tintagel without help from Jildan. The little imp female was the one who'd dispelled the glamour the Lady-Queen Sedari had cast upon all the fae. Whatever her reason had been, Jildan had come upon Jomai in the forest one day and used her weak imp magic to break the spell, letting Jomai see things as they really were for the first time in many years. What she saw in the court and in her own people didn't please her.

It wasn't the viciousness or the hidden brutality of the fae that displeased her. It was how mind-numbingly dull the place was. Everyone fawning and watching the Lady-Queen so adoringly when she never did much of anything.

How…lifeless.

At any rate, it was all that which had brought Jomai to Midgard. To her, the Lady-Queen wasn't nearly so entertaining a ruler as her father had been. Midgard was much more interesting.

Death, to be precise, was interesting.

Fae rarely changed. In fact, it was so rare that the fae would change at all that it could be said they never changed until death. There was a brief childhood, naturally, but once a fae matured, their body would just stop changing. After a while, even beauty grew dull.

"What are you talking about?" The others would ask her. Her own parents had looked at her strangely when she'd spoken about her boredom. "This is the way we are. What would you rather be? Mortal?" The suggestion was laughed at, but not long after Jomai found herself in Midgard disguised as a mortal and living as one. The moment she left Tintagel, she vowed that she would not use her magic in anyway but to disguise herself from humans.

It was marvelous.

Her glamour, a natural ability of the fae, allowed her to change the way the mortals perceived her. They saw only a mortal woman, rather ordinary and plain. If anyone was asked to describe her, they would have remembered nothing more than the clothes she wore.

She wanted to experience the pain and pleasure of all that was humanity. After a little observation, she decided that the only way to do that was to be human. So with very little effort, she immersed herself in the role. For all intents and purposes, she became human and she took a new name to fit her new life.

Jo.

To find the best and worst in humanity, Jo found an unusual occupation. She became a catholic nun and was thereafter known as sister Jo.

Finding herself in Japan, working in a lonely homeless shelter was the path that life had brought her on and the fact that she'd met a certain boy named Sanada Ryou in that shelter was nothing but coincidence.

"Would you like to come in?"

He looked as if he were nothing more than skin and bones. It surprised her to see him jump at the sound of her voice. He wasn't a child, exactly. He was becoming a young man. His black hair was shaggy and charmingly fell into his eyes, his dark skin told Jo that he spent a great deal of time out of doors.

"Don't be afraid. I've got some hot soup and no guests tonight." There was something wonderfully honest about the fear and distrust in those blue eyes. Sister Jo held out a hand to him, hoping that it was a friendly thing to do. By that time, she'd been living entirely as a human for several years and had learned that it was small things like that which encouraged trust.

The boy backed away a step but he didn't leave the doorway. How did it look to him? Maybe he saw the food she'd been laying out or maybe he was thinking about how warm it would be inside. He licked his lips to speak, but his words came out in slow, almost painful stuttering.

"I n-need to g-g-get my g-g-granma." He held a hand up as he spoke and wiped away a bit of spit with the back of his hand, his face turning red from embarrassment. "C-can't s-s-stay."

"Oh? Are you sure? I made beef stew and there's hot tea."

The offer tempted the human boy, that much was obvious. From the longing look in his eyes, Jo had to wonder how long it had been since he'd last eaten.

Ryou left without a word but came back the next night. Again, he refused to go into the shelter and left. That went on for several nights until one late night he came with an old woman clinging to his arm for support and a massive white tiger. In the beginning he didn't talk much, but he was helpful and worked hard. He would do almost anything Jo asked him to do, in fact. Thought he did have a powerful phobia of people. He avoided all people, except for some of the most unlikely

Yoko, the ever-smiling prostitute, and Joji, her unearthly cohort. Ryou had brought them back to the shelter one night and took right to them. He smiled and laughed at Yoko's jokes and he'd let Joji touch him without hesitation. That amazed Jo. Ryou would go to great lengths to avoid being touched and Joji didn't look like the most trustworthy of people, but somehow he'd earned Ryou's trust.

They stayed for months before the homeless shelter was closed down. Ryou and his dying granma had moved on and the last time Jo had seen them, they went the way they came. The old woman leaning on Ryou and the mysterious tiger following behind, they quietly disappeared into the rainy morning.

It hurt Jo to see them go. Somewhere along the lines she'd grown fond of Ryou. It hurt so badly when she realized that he would die somewhere and she would never see him again. He would be lost among the masses of humanity and, probably, he would starve to death on some cold night.

It was tempting to use her magic to help Ryou in someway, but she'd given her word not to so long as the game was in session and it didn't end until she went back to Tintagel. She couldn't break the rules, even so close to the end.

After that, Jo had decided it was best to go back to Tintagel to thank Jildan for helping her to see. Only, it hadn't been that simple.

"Please, take care of her. My darling Liun."

Jomai stared down helplessly at the infant in her cradle, horrified at being asked to care for such a tiny, fragile life. "You can't ask me to do this."

"I have to. There's no one else."

"Friends! You must have friends!"

Jildan, eminently practical, gave her a hard look. "You are more powerful than any of my friends or my family. Until her father returns, you must care for her. Please. I trust you."

"Why?"

"Because I did something for you. Think of this as a way to repay me." She smiled then and choked until Jomai helped her to sit up and patted her back. "Thank you. Do me this one favor. He'll be back soon. It won't be long."

"He's been gone several years. You went though nearly your whole pregnancy without your mate." Her female nature made her hate Bion just knowing that he'd abandoned his mate and unborn child. "What makes you so sure he will come back at all?"

The pain in Jildan's eyes made Jomai wish she hadn't said anything. Jildan quickly pushed the pain away and mustered another smile. "He will. I know he'll come back. I have faith in him."

She'd died a short time later, leaving Jomai in the house, that was too small for her, with a baby she had no idea how to take care of.

End Flashback-

Bion-

He didn't want her hanging around any longer than necessary. He certainly didn't want her influencing his daughter and what was Jildan thinking! To ask a fae to stay and look after the baby was madness. "Where's Jildan?"

"Dead." Jomai glared at him. "Sorry. You missed that, too. I hope your vacation was worth it."

"Liar." Dead? Jildan couldn't be dead. She was strong and healthy. As stubborn a mate as any male could wish for. Too stubborn to just…die. "The baby? Where's my daughter?" He dropped Ryou unceremoniously only to get a scalding glare from Jomai. As if he cared about some human boy at a time like this! "Where's my daughter?"

"Sleeping." Jomai, with her narrow arms, picked up Ryou easily and carried him to the middle of the room where she lay him out on the floor. "Keep your voice down or you'll wake her up." When she'd finished arranging Ryou to her satisfaction, Jomai stood with her back bent to keep herself from hitting her head on the ceiling. "In there. When Jildan was dying, she asked me to take care of Liun until you returned. She had great faith that you'd return. Frankly, I'm shocked."

Bion snarled and pushed passed her. There were only two room in the house. The main room where Jomai and Ryou were and the bedroom. Therefore, that was where the baby was. She was perfect, absolutely beautiful. She looked just like her mother and Bion felt a stab of burning pain.

"She died shortly after giving birth." Jomai spoke from the other room where she was sitting on the floor just next to Ryou. "Whether you believe it or not, I came her quite often while you were gone. She spoke about you all the time. When Liun was born, I sat with her and held her hand. She wouldn't stop bleeding. I could do nothing."

Bion touched his daughter's face. Liun. It sounded like a name Jildan would pick. He should thank Jomai for taking care of Liun, but found that his throat was squeezed tight. He could barely breathe. He didn't want to thank her. Despite everything, he wanted to hate her.

There was a loud noise and Jomai shouted in protest. It was enough to bring Bion away from his daughter to find out what was going on. He knew he shouldn't be shocked to see the fae soldiers at his door, but he was. They'd ripped the door off its hinges and were hacking away at the doorway with their spears, apparently trying to make it bigger.

"Stop it!" Jomai screamed, laying herself over Ryou's body, protectively.

They did stop, but not until the house was ripped open enough for them to actually enter. By that time, Luin was crying in the bedroom and Jomai's long hair was filled with splinters of wood. Bion felt his blood start to race and it took great effort to keep himself calm. They were armed fae and were, no doubt, acting on orders from the Lady-Queen. He couldn't challenge them.

One of the fae stepped into the house, having to slump to stand as he hadn't thought to chop away at the roof. He looked around from under his helmet and smiled when he saw Ryou's still form. "Good work, imp. This must be what you've been searching for. The Lady-Queen has been very patient."

"I haven't finished, yet." Bion ground out between his clenched teeth. "My plans aren't half finished."

"The Lady-Queen wishes to finish it. Your services are no longer needed. We'll take the boy, now."

"I can handle this on my own."

"We obey the Lady-Queen, not you."

The arrogance of the fae was unmatched. "He's part of the trap to get the Lady-Queen's Ari back. If you take him, the trap won't work."

Out of the corner of his eye, Bion saw Jomai touch something on Ryou's chest then quickly move her hand away. The only thing Bion could see was a necklace with some kind of human idol on it. He didn't have time for whatever Jomai was plotting. The fae soldiers were impatient.

"That's a matter for you to discuss with the Lady-Queen. I'm sure she'll welcome an audience." They picked up Ryou and were gone without another word. "Besides, the Lady-Queen already understands your plan. It's rather obvious. The boy is somehow close to the Lady-Queen's Ari. You use him to lure the other out. Simple."

Bion didn't dare protest and Jomai, though she was nearly trembling with fury, said nothing until they were gone. Together, they stood watching Ryou be taken away. He didn't move or speak, the shock of the journey to Tintagel still affecting him so badly, as the fae took him away from the relative safety of Bion's home.

"She'll kill him. I gave him some protection, but it won't help him for long." Jomai said, softly. She still knelt on the floor where she'd tried to protect Ryou and looked as if she would kill the soldiers if she thought it would do Ryou any good. Of course it wouldn't. They would send more guards and then the Lady-Queen would order Bion and Jomai to be killed. Where would that leave Liun?

"Maybe. She's not stupid. Cruel, not stupid. If she thinks he's important to Ari, she won't kill him just to please Ari. Perhaps she thinks she can give him to Ari as a gift." Bion couldn't help but feel pity for the boy and what he would face. "He'll wish he'd died in the car crash."

Jomai's eyes narrowed and her fist tightened. "I won't allow this." She whirled on Bion sharply. "Tell me everything you know, imp."

"For starters," Bion allowed himself a slow smile. "They don't know the plan. It wasn't Ari I was trying to lure out."

Castle of Light-  
Ryou-

Alone.

He didn't like being alone.

Being alone reminded Ryou too much of the time before he'd met his friends. It reminded him of being hungry and afraid. But he was alone and no matter how hard he reached out, there was no one to reach back. Like a wall had been built in front of his mind. Like his arms and legs had been cut off, Ryou felt vulnerable. Weak. He felt weaker than he'd ever felt, even before Rekka had come to him.

"Can't you put him back to sleep?" The voice was both glorious and ugly.

Everything hurt, but it was the voice that made Ryou desperately want to go back to sleep. His hands were bound together at the wrists, over his head and when Ryou tried to move, he couldn't. It wasn't just his hands that couldn't move, something was tied around his waist and his knees, binding him to the hard surface behind him.

"Forgive me, my Lady-Queen Sedari. It wouldn't be safe. His injuries are still healing."

Something poked Ryou's forehead and the pain was like a hundred needles jabbing into him.

"You see? He flinches at the slightest touch. Doing anything to interfere with his body's natural function may do more damage. Unless," The voice became eager. "You want to do damage? That I can do easily."

"No. Not yet. He's useful, now." A hand touched Ryou's face, but it was different than the first touch. This hand was smaller and light as a feather. "Ugly thing, isn't he? So…brown."

"I believe the sun does that to humans, my Lady-Queen."

"Leave me."

"Yes, my Lady-Queen."

The sound of echoing footsteps. Ryou began to notice more things then and started to wonder if it was worth the effort of opening his eyes. Wherever he was, it was cold. The tip of his nose was icy cold and his toes were numb. There was a terrible smell of mold and the taste of dust when Ryou licked his lips.

Slap!

The pain was unbearable and Ryou bit back a gasp. Youja. 'I'm in the Youja Kai. The war never ended. Maybe everything was just a dream and I've been a prisoner all this time.' But when he did open his eyes, it wasn't a Youja he saw. It was a woman. Not human, but not Youja, either.

She was beautiful.

She was terrifying.

"So," Sedari didn't bother to keep her thoughts hidden. "Darling Ari prefers mortals, does he?" She ran a hand down Ryou's chest, making him shudder. "He would rather couple with mortals than me? Such a strange man." Her tone wasn't angry, but reflective. Even when she looked right in Ryou's face, it was as if she didn't see him at all. "He spends his time and life with a dhampire rather than with me. How remarkable. How utterly absurd. And what part do you play in darling Ari's life?" She shrugged and somehow managed to make it look elegant. "Whatever you importance to him, you're important to me. Just be still."

She reached out to Ryou again and he turned his head away from her, trying to keep her from touching him. Where was his orb? He was still dressed, but he couldn't feel the orb. Maybe it had fallen out in the crash. Maybe it was just laying on the sidewalk and someone would steal it or break it. Somehow, Ryou's concern for the orb momentarily overrode his concern for himself. "Who are you?"

The woman stopped for a moment, then smiled. "I was wondering if you could speak. Little one, I am the Lady-Queen Sedari and I'm the one who brought you here. Aren't you fortunate? You're going to help me get back my lost love. I'm ever so grateful." Her smile was sweet as sugar. Ryou hated sweets.

"Let me go." He tried to keep his voice calm, like he thought Seiji or Touma would. "I'll help you, but please let me go. I hurt all over."

"No surprise. One of my agents was a little rash and caused the car you were in to crash."

Bion. Ryou had seen him just before the accident. That meant…what? What was it Bion had said to Ryou when they'd met in the forest? "Tell me, do you know a dhampire called Kujuurou?" Yes, that was what the little man had said. Anubisu. He'd asked after Anubisu, too.

Cold fingers touched Ryou's temples and jolted him back to reality. "Don't touch me!" He shouted without thinking. He hated being touched! He'd never been able to get over it, not since Bishop Brannon had… Ryou tore his mind away from that and thrashed in his bonds. He'd fought terrible wars. Breaking free shouldn't be so hard! "Just let me go, I haven't got anything to do with your lost love!"

"I'm afraid that's just not true." Her fingers rubbed his temples as if she were trying to make him relax. Ryou was anything but relaxed. "My agent is the best in his field. He wouldn't have taken you without reason. It's odd. You aren't the dhampire Kujuurou. You're human, nothing more. Now why would my dear Ari be associated with you? I suppose I'll just have to look and see."

"I tell you, I don't know anything about your Ari!"

"Lies are punishable by pain." Her smiled brightened as she stopped rubbed Ryou's temples and suddenly pressed her fingertips in.

It felt for all the world like a bolt of lightening shooting right through Ryou's head. The pain was so awful he couldn't even find the breath to scream. He couldn't close his eyes or move beyond laughable jerks. The pain went on for a long while and Ryou saw nothing but the eyes of the evil woman as she just kept smiling. Then, he saw…flashes. Light that came in bright bursts, like a camera's flash right in his eyes. The flashes of light grew more intense and lasted longer each time until there was one magnificent explosion of light that destroyed everything in Ryou's mind for a brief moment. He saw nothing but light and the pain of that light drown out the pain Sedari was causing with her fingers.

Light.

Nothing but light. No pain. No fear. No Rekka.

Then he was with mom in the forest near the cabin and she held up the family's treasure, the Ryoken sword. The ancient weapon gleamed in the sunlight and Ryou felt such awe at being allowed to look at it.

"Our treasure, Ryou-chan. For uncountable generations, this sword has been passed down in our family and one day it will be yours." She smiled, but with the sun behind her, Ryou couldn't quite see her face. Funny…he couldn't remember what she looked like. "You must guard the Ryoken and find its twin. It's been our family's duty for so many years. Come here, don't you want to hold it. You'll have to get used to it sooner or later."

When he touched the sword Ryou loved it. The coolness of the blade and the weight of it when his mom let him hold it on his own. The ruby eyes of the dragon that decorated the hilt. Ryou loved it.

Mom died.

Granma came to the cabin and stepped into Ryou's life, though he didn't even know her. How he hated her when she'd arrived. He did everything he could think of to drive her away. He shouted at her and cursed her. Nothing had worked and Ryou finally understood that nothing he could do would make her leave. They came to terms rather quickly and grew to love each other before granma had had to sell the cabin.

The years they'd spent homeless, just wandering to survive. Being cold and wet and hungry with no way out of it. Having granma lean on him when she grew tired. Hunting for food and wallowing in the taste of warm blood on his lips, running down his throat. Sleeping on the grass with Byakuen at his side, cuddling into the soft fur of the big tiger.

Bishop Brannon and the nightmarish few days they'd stayed at his church.

Meeting Sister Jo at the shelter and Yoko and Joji, the whores that worked the streets near the shelter.

School, what a trial that had been.

Meeting Shin in homeroom had been the best part of that first day. How nicely Shin had smiled at him and made him feel welcome instead of like a freak. It was Shin who'd introduced him to Touma in the halls and Touma who'd dragged Seiji into their conversation. His half-brother, Seiji, who immersed himself in his faith and believed so strongly that he was willing to make an outcast of himself because of it as well as his love for Xiu. Xiu whose papa was severely homophobic, but was doing his best to try to understand for Xiu's sake. It was better than Touma's dad who'd tried to kill him and Shin. Seiji and Ryou's dad killed Seiji's mom and Xiu's youngest sister.

The memories were overwhelming.

He saw Shin's moms and remembered when he fell asleep in Seiji's bathtub only to wake up to have Shit Face peering in the window at him with a sickening leer.

The night he'd gone to the Phoenix Rising restaurant to study with Touma and Xiu. He'd passed out because he hadn't eaten in so long and had a fantastic meal made by mama Faun.

Shin's mum was pregnant, everyone was so happy for her.

Arago.

Rekka haunting him until Ryou had called the yoroi to him. How had that happened? He couldn't remember much. He remembered being afraid and there was something to do with Byakuen and his granma. That didn't sound right. His granma had already died by the time Ryou had called Rekka.

The orb in his hand was warm and felt like an old friend.

He could touch the minds of his friends because of the yoroi.

Kaosu who had guided them through most of the war until Sh'ten had taken his place. Sh'ten had died in battle, saving them all. Kayura, the girl who'd been possessed…Rajura mocking them in the heat of battle…Naaza's burning venom in his eyes…Anubisu…Anubisu…

"I see."

The light faded and Ryou collapsed, straining his bindings when he couldn't hold himself up any longer. He was exhausted, drained from the memories.

"I saw him, little liar." Sedari patted Ryou's head, almost affectionately. "You shouldn't lie to me. I saw my dear Ari in your memories. He hasn't changed all that much. Where is he? I may let you go back to your friends after I have him. Just tell me."

Ryou shook his head. Even if he knew what she wanted, he wouldn't tell her. To expose anyone to this mad woman was nothing short of evil.

'Rekka…where are you when I need you?'

There was no answer and Ryou knew that the yoroi which had saved him so many times in the war had abandoned him.

"You must answer." Sedari's caressing touch pulled away and she slapped him, again. Her fingernails raked across his face and Ryou was dimly aware that blood was leaking down his chin. "Don't you know what I can do to you? Those memories you just had were nothing. I can make you see and feel anything I please. I can make you hate the people you love. I can make you kill them, if it pleases me. You're only human, you can't fight me. Just tell me," Her touch turned gentle again and she brushed her fingers down his throat. "Where is my Ari?" As soon as she said that, she recoiled with a cry of pain and stumbled away from Ryou, holding her hand to her chest. "What is it!" She screamed. "What is that!"

Ryou looked down at his chest where she'd been touching and saw nothing but the silver crucifix necklace sister Jo had given him the last time he'd seen her. Funny. Maybe he was imagining things, but it didn't look as shiny as it once did. In fact, if Ryou wasn't much mistaken, it didn't even look like silver.

"Steel!" Sedari hissed, hatefully. "You bring that cursed metal into my presence! Ungrateful animal! You'll suffer for this affront!" She turned and strode out of the dungeon as quickly as she could.

Alone, Ryou tried to think. He had no idea where he was. He couldn't break his bonds. He couldn't contact his friends. He felt so weak that he might die at any moment. There seemed to be no way out. At least when they were on the losing side of the war with Arago, they'd had each other for comfort. Now, Ryou didn't have even that.

I CAN HEAR YOU.

Ryou started at the voice in his head that didn't sound like any of his friends.

I'M HERE. YOU AREN'T ALONE.

Tentatively, Ryou reached out for the voice. He found it was cool and somehow familiar. WHO ARE YOU? I KNOW YOU.

I'LL FIND YOU. DON'T GIVE UP.

In the darkness, Ryou was thankful for any friendly voice.

To be continued… 


	9. Reactions

Chapter 9: Reactions

Xiu-

Damn it! Everything still hurt. One of the doctors was shouting at Xiu, but he was getting dizzy and it was hard to hear.

"My friends." Xiu tried to explain. "I have to find my friends."

Someone pressed a hand against Xiu's throat which, of course, only made it hurt more. "Stop talking! Cripes, lay down. Get him on the gurney. Young man, if you don't lay still, I'll have you strapped down! What do you think you're doing wandering the halls!"

"My friends….have at find them."

"We have all your friends, they're safe and sound. There's no reason to worry for them." When he'd finally gotten Xiu to lay down, he sighed in relief. "Stop talking, you're doing yourself more damage. We're going to take care of you, I promise."

Xiu tried to shake his head, but that only made him feel more dizzy. He didn't want them to take care of him. He wanted Seiji. Seiji had the softest hands. He wanted his mama and papa. "Lemme go!" If he could just get away from these people, he could find everyone. He could find Ryou and then, he knew, he'd feel a lot stronger. He'd be able to think straight if that missing piece of his mind was back where it was supposed to be. Xiu tried sitting up again, but they piled on him and it was almost enough to stop him. Three nurses and an orderly nearly had to sit on him until Xiu felt a thin hand take his.

"Xiu, dear, you must be still." It was Shin's mum and she looked like she'd been crying. If there was one thing Xiu hated, it was people who made women cry. "Come on, it'll be alright. Everyone's hear. Just be still and let the doctor work."

"My throat hurts."

The nurses and orderly slowly got off Xiu when he seemed to be calming down and the doctor spoke to Shin's mum over Xiu. "Are you his mother?"

"No. Friend of the family's. What's happening?"

"He has to go to the O.R. immediately. I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave.  
"Keep him still!" Someone close to Xiu's head shouted. An unfamiliar face leaned over Xiu and smiled. "Take it easy, son. You just hold still. You've been in a car accident. Can you remember what happened?"

'You're not my dad.' It was a stupid thing to think, but Xiu's thoughts centered on it. "Where's my papa?"

"He's not here. You were with friends. They're alright, we're just worried about you, now. Can you remember anything?"

"Sei-chan?" Even to Xiu, his words sounded slurred and every time he spoke it hurt all the more. SEI-CHAN? WHERE ARE YOU?

HERE. I'M TIRED. He felt tired. YOU OKAY?

I THINK SO. DOCTORS ALL AROUND. I WISH THEY'D STOP YELLING. EVERYONE ELSE OKAY?

There were answering calls from Shin and Touma, both of them awake, but scared. The only one Xiu couldn't find was Ryou and Touma told him very firmly that Ryou had been alive just before the ambulance got there. He'd spoken to Ryou. A bright light was turned on right over Xiu's face and the doctor - for that was what he must have been - leaned over him again.

"Take some deep breaths, son. We're going to put you to sleep for a little while, you won't feel a thing."

Xiu raised a hand and pushed away the mask one of the nurses tried to fix over his face. "No. Wanna go home. Need to find Ryou." God! It hurt!

"You can't leave." The doctor pressed Xiu's hand back down at his side. "You have glass shards in your throat and we have to get them out. You'll be find, missed all the important stuff. I doubt you'll even have a sore throat in a week, but we have to get it all out now. Please, calm down."

DO IT. Touma told him, weakly. HE'S RIGHT AND HE'S A DOCTOR. YOU HAVE TO TRUST DOCTORS.

MAMA? WHERE'S MAMA AND PAPA? All Xiu could remember was fighting with papa, again. Why couldn't he just be an obedient son like papa wanted? Why did he have to always fight? I NEED THEM. Xiu must have been speaking out loud without knowing it because the doctor patted his shoulder and said,

"We'll get a hold of them as soon as we can. Please, don't talk anymore. Every time you try your throat starts bleeding more." He put the mask over Xiu's mouth and nose and this time Xiu didn't resist because Touma told him to be still because doctors know what they're doing and he trusted Touma, not the doctor. "There you are. Did anyone look for his wallet? Some identifi…"

The pain faded away and Xiu fell asleep. He wasn't completely alone. He could feel Seiji on the edge of his mind, sleeping. He was there and alive, so at least that was something. Shin and Touma weren't awake, either, and neither of them was happy. WHAT HAPPENED? SOMEONE WAKE UP.

WE CAN'T. It was Shin who spoke. I FEEL SO…WEAK. RYOU'S GONE.

WHERE?

YOU KNOW AS MUCH AS I DO. I'M TRYING TO GET UP. NOTHING FEELS RIGHT, THOUGH. I FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING'S OUT OF WHACK.

Touma's more thoughtful voice whispered. I THINK IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU AND SEIJI. WHEN RYOU," He paused, distressed, before continuing. SHIN AND I STARTED LEANING MORE ON YOU AND SEIJI. YOU'RE GOING TO BE SOUND ASLEEP IN A MINUTE AND SEIJI'S JUST NOT WELL.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?

HIS HEAD SMASHED AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL IN THE ACCIDENT, WE THINK. WE HOPE.

HOPE? WHY WOULD YOU HOPE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

BECAUSE IF IT'S NOT THAT, THEN HE MIGHT HAVE DAMAGED HIS SPINE. MAYBE THE FORCE OF THE CRASH WAS ENOUGH TO BREAK HIS NECK. The dreadful words made Xiu go cold all over and Touma's reached out to reassure him. I THINK IT'S JUST CONCUSSION. LOOK, THERE, He directed Xiu's attention to where Seiji should have been. His presence was there, but not nearly his vibrant self. His mental self looked worn and haggard. Like looking at a sick person, it looked and felt like Seiji should, but just looked…off. HE'S JUST NOT WELL. WE DON'T DARE TRY TO WAKE HIM.

NO. Xiu agreed, backing away from Seiji. YOU'RE RIGHT. LEAVE HIM, FOR NOW. I GUESS HE NEEDS THE REST.

There wasn't much else to say. They were incapacitated. Completely helpless.

…

Helpless?

Xiu strained and reached up, touching his hand to his throat. There was a large bandage there, wrapped all the way around his neck. He couldn't so much as move his head from side to side. I'M NOT HELPLESS. I'M STRONG. It was an effort to sit up, more work than anything Xiu could remember. Not so much painful as tiring, like the last mile of a marathon. I'M NOT WEAK!

Xiu tore the little electronic monitors from his chest and his temples, he furiously ripped the IV needle out of his arm and threw off the thin, coarse blanket. It left him in nothing but the white hospital gown, but his clothes were there, sitting on a chair right by his bed. His jeans and shirt, his sneakers and his wallet. Everything was there including the coins in his pants pocket that mama had always insisted he carry, just in case of an emergency.

Xiu swung his feet out of the bed and took a moment to breathe. If things worked out, he was going to spend a week sleeping after all this. He didn't bother getting dressed, as he figured the doctors would just make him get back to bed again, but he did grab the coins. This surely was an emergency.

All the effort was making the others worry, but they didn't try to stop him. Instead, they offered support and cheered him on. BUT BE CAREFUL. Shin warned. WE DON'T KNOW HOW BAD YOUR THROAT IS.

Xiu didn't answer. Just then, all he could think about was getting some help. He'd almost made his way to the hallway when Seiji began to stir. He didn't wake entirely, but enough for Xiu to feel him a little clearer. It was reassuring. At least Seiji wasn't going to completely slip away.

XIU? Seiji's voice was far away and barely more than a whisper.

I'M HERE.

Seiji didn't answer, but the feeling of him in Xiu's mind didn't weaken.

IT'S OKAY. Xiu reached out to Seiji, soothingly. DON'T STRESS YOURSELF. I'LL HAVE YOU BACK HOME IN YOUR GARDEN IN NO TIME. Xiu was certain that would be best for Seiji, not staying in the hospital. Seiji would want to be in his garden. JUST LET ME FIX A COUPLE OF THINGS. GOTTA FIND RYOU.

Xiu was in luck. There was no one in the hallway when he left the hospital room. A few carts piled with toilet paper and one loaded with clean, white towels, but no people. Even more luck, there was a payphone just a few feet away. Lucky. Xiu had never really believed in luck, but just then, he was a believer.

Bad luck was always quick to follow good, however.

The phone at the Phoenix Rising was busy. Xiu pulled the earpiece away from his ear and stared at it in disbelief. Who could his parents be calling at a time like this? It wasn't just Xiu's parents, though. He couldn't get through to anyone. Not to Shin's moms or grandfather Date. Xiu desperately thought of all the people he knew and the list was short. His family, his friends family, and…Nasutei!

'Stupid of me. Of course! She'll come.' Xiu redialed and listened to the ring until the phone was answered. It wasn't Nasutei, though.

"Moshi, moshi." Jun.

"Jun-chan, Nasty there?"

Jun was quiet for a moment. "Xiu? Is that you?"

"Yeah, kid. Is Nasty there? I really gotta talk to her." Is throat burned with every word.

Almost at once, he heard Nasutei's voice on the other end. "What's going on?"

It was so good to hear her. Nasutei was one of the most reliable people Xiu knew and she was very responsible. If anyone could help, it would be her. "Nasty, there's been an accident. Can't get through to anyone." Xiu coughed and the pain was excruciating. He tried to speak again, but only ended up with a long, agonizing hacking until blood flew out of his mouth and splattered on the phone. "Nasty, can't find Ryou. Everyone's hurt. Please…" He coughed again and tasted more blood.

"Ryou…!" Nasty sounded like she took a deep breath. "You're at a hospital?"

"Yeah."

"Stay there and do what the doctors tell you. I'll take care of Ryou." She hung up so abruptly that Xiu almost didn't hear Jun's outraged,

"He's been taken!"

Whatever Jun meant by that, Xiu had no idea. Then again, maybe he was hearing things. Xiu was grateful that Nasty was going to look for Ryou, though how she would do that when she didn't even know where the accident had happened, Xiu had no idea. It didn't help Xiu out too much. He wanted someone to come to the hospital so he didn't have to worry about protecting everyone. Someone he could trust. Someone strong. Someone like Michael.

Xiu managed a smile and licked his blood splattered lips. Michael always carried his cell phone.

Phoenix Rising-  
Michael-

Michael didn't try to stop Xiulei from leaving when he stormed out and met a friend on the sidewalk. He must have seen the friend from one of the upstairs windows because the friend didn't call out for him. Xiu didn't look at Michael or speak to him when he left, just stomped away with an ugly expression. 'What did his old man tell him?' Michael hoped that Xiu wasn't angry with him. Of course he knew what was going on inside. That was why papa Faun had called him back from Canada.

The phone call had been brief and to the point.

"You don't have to, if you're happy in Canada."

"Faun-san, please. I'm happy to do as you wish. Honored, even." It was the chance of a lifetime for someone like Michael. To be the head of one of Japan's Tongs was nothing to be sneezed at. Michael had been raised in a crime family, small timers in America who specialized in bootlegging booze. It was just a chance encounter with papa Faun that had changed Michael's life. Papa Faun had seen potential in the young man and offered him a job in Japan at pay he just couldn't refuse. After that, papa Faun had gone out of his way to help Michael through life. He'd seen to it that Michael had enough money for an education, getting a degree in business and finance as well as management.

"I don't want you to feel like you owe this to me, Michael. I do have several reasons for wanting you back, though." He sighed over the phone and Michael had the distinct impression that he was tired. "If it's not you, then the others are going to demand I name an heir and Xiu, as my oldsters, well…he's just not suited for this kind of lifestyle. My fault, I suppose."

Michael, sat at his desk and looked around at the opulent office. Thanks to papa Faun's generosity and support Michael had been able to get a very good paying job at a respectable office in Toronto. It was thanks to the Faun family that Michael didn't end up a petty bootlegger hiding out in backwoods swamp 'till the cops lost interest in him. Thanks to them, Michael could afford the shiny black car in the parking lot that his father could never hope to drive. Thanks to them, he'd had a safe and relatively happy life looking after the family while papa Faun carried on his life as a banker by day and Tong leader by night. How could he refuse them now?

"No fault, sir. It's not as if keeping him out of the Tong is a bad idea. You told me all he wants to do is run the restaurant, right? Well, this is a good opportunity for him. Besides, as I said, it's an honor. I don't feel obligated. A lot of people would be thrilled to be offered the same."

"Good. I was hoping you'd accept. I trust you, Michael. Please, can you be at my home as soon as possible? There are people I want you to meet and, after that, other, less important, people you should know. We have a new address."

"You moved?"

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. "There were circumstances. Things I shouldn't say over the phone."

It wasn't until Michael had arrived at the new and improved Phoenix Rising that papa Faun took him quietly aside and told him about what had happened a few months earlier. Little Lai, the baby of the family, had been murdered in the middle of the restaurant along with a family friend. To save themselves, Xiulei's boyfriend - that had taken a moment to get used to - had killed the murderer, his own father.

"They went missing for almost a full day." Papa Faun said with his head buried in his hands. "We thought they'd been killed, too. I didn't know what else to think. I had everyone out looking for him. I wasn't just me. One of the boy's has a grandfather who searched the city until he nearly dropped. My dear wife had to bully him into resting. They just went into hiding. Stupid!" He burst out very suddenly and slammed his hands down on the table they were sitting at. "One of the boys, a good boy, had been terribly injured. He could have died. You'd think my son would be sensible enough to take him to the hospital and give me a call. I always thought he was sensible."

"Mama Faun said you two had been arguing."

Papa Faun gave Michael a sharp look, then laughed self-consciously. "She's been talking to you already? Well, we were. That was my fault, too. I seem to be losing my wits as I age. He shouldn't have been afraid to come to me, not with something so important. I'd have helped his friend. He just saw our baby killed. He should have been with us, not hiding in some dark forest." His voice lost volume and his shoulders slumped. "He…he just should have been at home."

There wasn't much Michael could say. He wanted to kill the person who hurt this family so badly, but that had already been taken care of. "Where is Xiu now?"

"Now? Oh," Papa Faun had never outright lied to Michael, but he had the feeling he was about to hear a lie cross the older man's lips. "Out in the country. He's renting a room from a young lady in a big old house. It's good for him. The country air and all that space. I've been thinking about moving the rest of the family out to the country."

It wasn't a lie. Michael could tell papa Faun wasn't lying, but he was hiding something important. Something about Xiu he didn't want Michael to know. It hurt that the Faun family would keep secrets from him of all people, but Michael tried to be understanding. It wasn't as if he were really part of the family.

"So he's alright?"

"Yes, yes. He's fine. I'm proud of him, you know. Very proud." Papa Faun's mind seemed to drift for a moment before he drew himself back to reality. "He's coming back in a few days. I want to explain things to him."

How was he planning to explain that he'd been hiding such a dangerous secret from Xiu all these years? It would be a conversation to be remembered.

It was days later that Michael saw Xiu for the first time since his arrival in Japan. He drove up to the Phoenix Rising in a bright green car with a friend behind the wheel. There were three other teenage boys in the backseat, but Michael couldn't get a good look at them while he was pretending to read the newspaper. His whole reason for standing outside the Phoenix Rising was to look inconspicuous and chase away anyone who couldn't read the 'CLOSED' sign. There was something about the way Xiu looked at the blonde boy behind the wheel that told Michael without a doubt that that was the boyfriend.

He was glad to see Xiu. He could still remember when Xiu had been an only child and how much fun it had been to teach the little boy how to play poker. Little Xiu had grown up quite a bit and it actually made Michael sad to see that Xiu was nearly a man. He'd missed all that time.

It was a short while after his arrival that Xiu had stormed out of the family's home and only an little while after that when Michael's cell phone rang. He was still outside, leaning against the door with the newspaper held just right so it would look like he was reading while he watched the people of the neighborhood pass by. Out of habit, Michael looked over his shoulder at a small opening in the shades where he could catch a glimpse of the meeting inside. Everything seemed to be peaceful and papa Faun was still on the phone. He'd been on and off it all morning talking to business associates.

"Hello?"

A pause, then Xiu's weak voice. "Michael?"

"What's wrong?" Xiu never sounded weak. He didn't like that at all.

"Michael?"

Michael's grip on his phone tightened and he dropped the newspaper. He could hear soft background noises around Xiu, like people talking. This was far more important than guarding the front door. He looked over his shoulder at the shaded window and knew papa Faun couldn't be interrupted. "I'm here. I'm Michael. Where are you?"

"Hospital." There was something wrong with Xiu's voice when he spoke. He sounded like he had a terrible sore throat, it was all scratchy. Like it had been rubbed with sandpaper. "Help."

"What happened? I'll come, just tell me what happened?" Even as he said that, Michael pushed the restaurant's door open and called out for one of the other bodyguards. "Watch the door." He made eye-contact with papa Faun and was reasonably sure the man knew it was an emergency. There was no way he could do this quietly, but there was also no reason to let the other Tong leaders know what was going on. He'd explain later. Papa Faun was sure to understand.

When Michael was sure the other man was at the door and guarding it, though it looked like a guard and that seemed very unprofessional to Michael, he turned his attention back to Xiu. "You still there, boy? What hospital?"

Xiu groaned on the other end. "Magic Bus, I think. Can't really…"

"Xiu? Xiulei? You can't what?" Michael walked as quickly as he could, but kept his eyes on the streets for a cab or maybe a bus. It was times like these that he cursed not having his car. "Can't what, Xiu?"

"My throat hurts. I'm empty. I'm missing. Can't get through to mama and papa. Phone's all tied up. Help."

"I'm coming. Put the phone down and rest. I'll be right there."

It wasn't an easy task to find Xiu.

The city was big and had three hospitals, all of which Michael had to search. It took him almost two hours because, of course, Xiu was at the third. It took all Michael's control to compose himself when he walked into the hospital. It would do no one any good if he stormed in like an angry big brother. So he slowed his pace when he walked through the sliding doors and moved even slower when he approached the receptionists desk.

It irked him that he had to wait in line like everyone else. What else could he do, short of pulling out his gun…no. Papa Faun wouldn't like that at all. Come to think of it, Xiu probably wouldn't appreciate it, either.

So Michael waited.

And waited.

And waited until he thought that maybe using a little persuasion to get the line moving wouldn't be a bad idea after all.

"Excuse me?"

Michael turned at the voice and found a very small, thin woman looking at him. That she'd spoken in English was what had caught his attention. "May I help you, ma'am?"

She looked him up and down very carefully. "Would you be Michael Silver?"

"I would. May I presume Xiulei told you my name?" It was really the only way she could have known, unless, of course, she'd been sent by some rival. The yazuka, for instance. She didn't really look the part of a yazuka lady, but appearances could be deceiving. Michael felt a tick throb just under his left eye, an unwelcome sign of stress. If she was from the yazuka and this was some kind of threat to the Faun family, the woman would regret it. Michael wasn't so civilized that he'd refrain from opening fire in a hospital waiting room.

The woman broke out in a relieved smile. "Oh, yes. I'm sorry. I'm Jenny. Jenny Mouri. I came in with Xiu, he's this way. Silly boy was wandering around and hurt himself again, I think that was when he gave you a call. He asked me to look out for you. I don't suppose you can get a hold of his parents? I'm sure they'll want to know…"

"Know what?" Michael took hold of the woman's arm and stopped her. She spoke a little too quickly for his taste. "Exactly who are you?"

"She's my mum."

Both Michael and Ms. Mouri turned at the voice. There was a young boy, obviously Ms. Mouri's relative, leaning against the wall. He was soft looking. Fair skin and hair that looked soft as feathers. His eyes, though, were hard. His eyes were as brutal as any killer Michael had ever known. "And you are?"

"Mouri Shin." The boy pushed away from the wall, but by the way he walked towards Michael and his mum, he should have been in bed. He walked very slowly and winced with every step, like it was a pain. "As for your other question, what happened is a car accident. Someone dashed out in front of the car and made them crash. Xiu caught some glass in the throat. Nothing too serious. Enough to give us all a scare and need a bit of surgery. Xiu's waiting for you. Room 142." The boy looked at his mother. "Mum, Touma's awake, too. Can we see Seiji and Xiu, now?"

But Michael was already walking away. Room 142. He had no interest in the friends, his first responsibility was to make sure Xiu was alright. After that, he could call papa Faun and then he'd get down to the real business. Someone had run out in front of the car. It was probably an accident. Most likely, it was a child running after a ball or other suck nonsense. On the other hand, it could have been deliberate.

'The yazuka wouldn't be above it, trying to use Xiu's life to intimidate papa Faun. Then again, it could be another arm of the tong. Maybe someone trying to displace the Faun's.' That didn't make much sense to Michael, either. It was generally known that Michael would be succeeding papa Faun, not Xiu. Why try to hurt the boy?

Xiu looked awful. His eyes were both blackened and his skin looked unnaturally pale. His throat was wrapped in a heavy white bandage, but Michael couldn't see any signs of anything else wrong. "Kid? Hey, you still awake? Come, on." Michael gave Xiu's foot a shake, but when he didn't get any response, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number he knew well.

"Michael? Where are you?" Papa Faun didn't sound happy, not that Michael had expected him to. "Do you realize what kind of impression this gives! I invited them over to discuss YOU! And you up and take off in the middle of talks. When I called for you, the guard at the door said you'd taken off after some phone call. They don't have much confidence in you after that little escapade."

"Forgive me, sir." Michael did regret causing such embarrassment to his benefactor, but he didn't regret his decision. "I'm at the Magic Bus Hospital. Xiu's been admitted. He was in a car accident with some friends. He's alive and the doctors seem to think he'll do well, but he tried to call you and mama Faun several times. He couldn't get through so he called me."

There was a long moment of silence "Accident?"

"Sir, I'm in Xiu's room right now. He's sleeping comfortably. I am told that they saw someone run out in front of the car. I don't rule out one of your rival's involvement. It is possible, however unlikely, that this was planned. I'm certain that Xiu would appreciate you being here when he wakes up."

Xiu's eyes slowly drifted open. They looked watery and yellow, certainly not healthy. "Hey. Too late, I'm up already."

"Sir," Michael went around to the other side of the bed and poured some water for him from out of a pitcher that was left at his bedside. "Xiu just woke up. His throat's been damaged, but he can speak. Can I tell him when you'll be down?"

"Give me ten minutes and five more to find a sitter for the children."

"Yes, sir." Michael hung up and turned his attention to a more important matter. Xiu. It hurt to see Xiu like this. Hurt badly. "Take it easy." With all the tubes going in and out of Xiu, though, Michael really wasn't sure if he should let Xiu drink. "Here, just wet your lips." He wet his fingers and ran them over Xiu's lips. "Don't talk. Your friends are all alive. Not in the best of shape, some of them, but alive."

That didn't make anything better. "You don't understand." Xiu let out a low, mournful cry and his eyes squeezed tightly shut. His fists curled into tight balls and thumped the mattress uselessly. "No! Ryou! He's lost, he's gone. Gone." At this last, Xiu's voice lost its fire and he let his hands fall on the bed, limply. He was the very picture of despair.

Youja-Kai- Kayura-

Kayura had obeyed Rajura when he told her to get back to bed. It had, naturally, occurred to her that she didn't have to do as he commanded. She was lady of the castle now that Arago had been defeated. They were her warriors, they were supposed to listen to her orders. She knew very well that if she asserted herself and gave Rajura an order, he would listen.

The pain was too much to bear, however.

If Sh'ten had survived the war, then it was he would have been lord of the castle and commander of the Youja Kai. As general of the Ma-Sho, he would have been the emperor. Everyone knew it. Kayura was just a mistake. She shouldn't be empress. She shouldn't have the Oni yoroi. Most definitely, she shouldn't have taken Sh'ten's place.

So, it was guilt that had driven her to her bed and kept her away from the others. She would obey Rajura as best as she could and hope that one day he would soften towards her.

'I didn't do anything wrong!' She told herself fiercely after Rajura had told her to get to her room. 'It was Badamon, he's the one who killed Sh'ten, not me. I barely even remember it.' That time of her life, most of her childhood, was as if she hadn't even lived it. Kayura remembered those years thought a haze of mist with cotton in her ears. She could see it, but not clearly. She could hear it, but not well. 'He doesn't have to take it out on me. He knows I'm sorry for Sh'ten.'

Kayura's bedroom was very plain. She'd never had the typical things a child had. There were no toys or decorations. No doubt Arago had thought it a waste of energy to even think of such things. She had a bed, of course, and a chest where she clothes, but that was about it. The stone walls were bare as was the floor. There were times when it felt so oppressive that Kayura just wanted to scream. She didn't. She was a lady, after all, and ladies did not give into such whims.

Anubisu's anger hit Kayura like a tidal wave, it literally floored her. The anger was more powerful than anything she'd felt from her brothers, it was simple overwhelming. The sheer emotion, naked and passionate, was enough to almost make Kayura faint. She slowly picked herself off the floor, trying to unscramble her emotions from Anubisu's, trying to push him out of her mind.

When she managed to stand, Kayura grabbed her staff and tried to track him down. Rajura would be with him, after an outburst like that, and Naaza would probably be there, too. She found the strangest sight when she finally managed to track them down. Anubisu was being helped to his feet by Rajura and Naaza was cursing angrily. Anubisu didn't look at all happy and shrugged Rajura off.

"I'll kill them all!" He thundered, furiously. Anubisu pushed away from Naaza who'd come to help him when he staggered. "Leave me alone, I'll gut them like fish!"

"Who?" Rajura demanded. "Who took him?"

Anubisu almost calmed down, then. "I…I don't know. He's just gone!"

Whatever was going on, Kayura had no idea what it was, but she felt sure it had something to do with the white tiger she'd seen with the ronins so many times. It looked as angry as Anubisu, snarling and clawing at the floor. It roared loud enough to shake the palace before it charged right at Kayura. It took her by surprised, making Kayura hold up her staff in front of her defensively, but there proved to be no need. It only took a few bounding leaps before, in the middle of a leap, vanished into mid-air.

By no means, did that stop the chaos.

Anubisu, still in the throws of his fury, flung off Naaza yet again and called his yoroi to him, obviously ready to march into war. Whatever he had planned, Anubisu wasn't willing to share. He, like the tiger, vanished into mid-air.

"Well," Naaza sourly shook his head and rubbed the place where he'd struck it against the wall. "That went well. Your orders?"

Rajura glared at him, then at the spot where Anubisu had been. "Find the ronins." He whispered in an ominously quiet tone. "Find them and see what's happened to our dear boy. I'll deal with the other aspects of this muddle." He cast a glance at Kayura and seemed to be thinking. "You," He stood a little straighter. "Will come with me. Time you learned to deal with such disturbances. Go put your best robes on."

So, dressed in her finest, Kayura clutched at her staff and waited for Rajura to ready himself. Whatever he was doing, staring into the fire like that, Kayura had no idea. She didn't dare interrupt him, though.

At last, Rajura stood up, pushing himself to his feet and one smooth movement. He looked Kayura up and down, critically examining her from all angles. "You'll do. Hold yourself a little straighter. Put your chin up, you're an empress, you must behave like one. The people we're about to meet are very impressed with position and power. For now, I'll speak for you, my empresses."

"Who are these people?" Kayura did as Rajura told her, standing straighter and holding her chin high. Strangely, just standing as if she had confidence DID help a little.

"Vampires."

It didn't shock Kayura. She was young, not stupid. "Anubisu's other family, then?"

"Yes. I've had an ongoing bargain with them for quite some time. This will affect things. Besides which, they might know something about Ryou's disappearance."

Kayura was very proud that she didn't react to the name. She knew it was that boy whom Anubisu had gotten himself connected to, she couldn't not know after the terrible reaction from Rajura unleashing his memories. She'd seen it and felt it, right along with Anubisu, as if she had been the one drinking the boy's blood and slipping into his mind. It was such a strange, dirty feeling.

Oh, she knew it wasn't really dirty. She was happy for Anubisu that he loved someone, but it felt wrong that Kayura should share those thoughts and emotions. It seemed to her that those were the kind of things that should be kept private and she was certain he wasn't happy about the others sharing them.

"They already know the whole story." Rajura was saying, drawing Kayura back out of his thoughts. "You'll do them the courtesy of calling them by their proper names, Miko and Abraham instead of Nasutei and Jun. Also, when you speak with them, remember that it's Abraham who is master, not Miko."

"I know." How could one forget? To think the two seemingly weakest people fighting on the ronin's side were in actuality, the stronger than any mere human. "What are you going to tell them?"

"Me? I'll tell them nothing. You are empress. I am merely your guard and obedient servant." His voice shifted until Kayura heard it only in her mind. It was the closest she'd ever been to her eldest brother, though she wished he'd have done it willingly instead of to help Anubisu. I'LL STAY IN CONTACT WITH YOU THIS WAY, THEN YOU'LL KNOW WHAT TO SAY IF ABRAHAM SHOULD GET WILY.

WILL HE TRY TO TRICK US? WHY? HE'LL BE CONCERNED FOR ANUBISU, TOO, RIGHT?

MAYBE. HE WAS CONCERNED ENOUGH TO STRIKE THIS BARGAIN IN THE FIRST PLACE.

YOU'RE WORRIED, AREN'T YOU?

I DON'T TRUST HIM. HE'S TOO CLEVER FOR MY TASTE AND TOO POSSESSIVE. WE'LL TAKE IT CAREFULLY WITH HIM.

WILL HE HURT ANUBISU?

NO. NOT FOR HIS LIFE. US, ON THE OTHER HAND…I'M NOT CERTAIN.

Kayura swallowed hard and felt her confidence start to shrivel until Rajura put a hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him, again.

ABRAHAM IS CLEVER AND POSSESSIVE, BUT SO AM I. IT'S OUR DUTY. OUR RESPONSIBILITY. WE WILL PROTECT OUR FAMILY NO MATTER THE COST.

YES, RAJURA-SAN.

Ningen Sekai-  
Nasutei/Miko-

Nasutei was faint with fear when she listened to Xiu on the phone. Dear, sweet little Ryou was gone. 'I let him out of my sight for just a moment and he gets himself kidnapped!' It didn't even cross her mind that Ryou had just run away. Xiu wouldn't have been so upset if it was something so pedestrian. And a car accident? Lucky the boys weren't killed and how that would upset poor little Kujurrou to lose his Ryou!

"I'm going to the hospital!" She announced as soon as she'd set the phone down.

"Calm down." Abraham, looking sour and glowering at the phone as if it were the phone's fault about the bad news. "Nothing will be solved by your running around, my dove."

"Father, they might know something! Xiu was awake and Touma spoke to Ryou just before he was taken. I can't just sit here. Rajura will take it as breaking our bargain if something's happened to Ryou."

He shoot her a poisonous look at stopped her words instantly. "You think I have a care for that spider? Let him be cursed and have done with it. If there's someone powerful enough to take Ryou right from under the eyes of two perfectly healthy and able warriors. They must be immensely powerful and stealthy. Who would want him, that's what I want to know."

"You're forbidding me to go?" Miko couldn't believe it.

"Forbidding? No. I just want you to calm yourself and think. We might be up against something big. Something dangerous."

Miko felt her fangs descent as her fury nearly overtook her. " I AM dangerous!"

Abraham did nothing but raise an eyebrow at her. "Do not raise your voice to me, my dove. Never before have you put yourself against me. Don't start now, not when little Kuj needs us most." He tapped his little fingers on the chair's arm. "I've never stifled you, you may go to the boys, if that eases your mind. I'll stay. Rajura will be here momentarily, no doubt."

"Are you certain? Byakuren went to see him hours ago and we haven't heard word. It's possible that he's betrayed us." Her voice turned as dark as her thoughts. "His reputation doesn't speak well of him. Perhaps he's betrayed us. Maybe he hasn't unveiled Kujurrou's memories as he promised. Maybe he's killed Byakuen and that's why we have…stop smirking! It's possible!"

"Though unlikely. The wyrm has vast power of its own, even one such as Rajura would have trouble taking its life. If something so horrible has happened to Ryou that we should be worrying, then Kujuurou will know about it. He's gotten too close and I think you know it as well as I do. One taste of Kujuurou's blood and they'll be blood-bonded. If Kujuurou knows something, Rajura knows it as well."

"And I do." Rajura spoke before they saw him, but he did them the courtesy of waiting to enter the room until he was noticed. They didn't see the girl until Rajura stepped in. While Rajura was dressed simply, in his kimono, Lady Kayura was far more formal in bright silks and ornaments in her hair. "I see we're expected."

Abraham nodded sharply. "You are. My dove," He looked at Miko. "Would you still go to visit our boys or stay to listen?"

"I'll go, sire." Miko bowed low to him, thankful that he'd given her the choice. In such stressful moments, it was like Abraham to be more tight with his control. "You'll tell me what I need to know when I see you again, I'm sure." She kissed his cheek before she left and cast both Rajura and Lady Kayura suspicious looks before she left the house. There was nothing she could do if she stayed, anyway.

Though Miko could live by daylight, by the advantage of her age, she was pleased that the sun was setting by the time she set foot out the door. The night always was more comfortable for flying. She took not one step from the doorway before she was air born and heading for the city.

It took time, infuriatingly, to find the boys, but find them she did and she marched into the waiting room. "Where are they?" She planted the palms of her hands on the desk of the reception nurse and tried very hard to control both her temper and her strength. "My boys! They've been brought here."

"Please, take it easy, ma'am." The nurse barely flinched from Miko's demanding voice. "Give me the names of your children and I'll find them for you."

"Not my children, not really. There was a car accident. Faun Xiulei, Date Seiji." She looked around the waiting room, but didn't recognize any other faces. "Hashiba Touma and Mouri Shin should be around here, somewhere but I didn't think they were in the accident. They might have been, but…"

"Please, ms…?"

"Yagiyu. Yagiyu Nasutei. Are they here?"

"I do have all four of them listed at patients, but some of their parents are already here. You can ask them if you'll be allowed to visit. The Mouri's are with their sons and Date-san's grandfather is sitting with him. In fact, Mouri-san!" She half stood at her desk and waved a hand to get the attention of woman just coming down the hall. "There she is. Mouri-san!"

"Yes?" Mouri-san was very elegant, but had deep lines around her eyes and a tense set to her mouth.

"This young lady claims to know your sons and the other boys brought in. She'd like to visit with your sons, with your permission."

"I don't know you." Mouri-san said, doubtfully.

"Shin might have spoken about me. Yagiyu Nasutei? They're boarding at my house for school."

A light of recognition came on in Mouri-san's eyes, but outwardly she showed no signs of it. "I see. Yes, he's mentioned you. Shin and Touma have both woken up, though they still aren't well. I think they'd appreciate a visit. Will you please come with me." She then frowned at something over Miko's shoulder and her tense mouth became set with something a little harder. "They are resting in room 102, please feel free to go yourself." She, however, stayed rooted to the spot where she stood.

Curiously, Miko turned to see what had make Mouri-san so unhappy. There was another woman glaring at Mouri-san while a man spoke to her, quietly. With her enhanced hearing, Miko could hear every word as clear as crystal.

"Don't do this. You're only going to end up making more trouble than he's worth. At least wait until he's out of the hospital. She may see that as showing consideration for him." The man didn't sound at all happy to be there. "I know you're angry, but, seriously, this is a bad time for it."

"Just let me handle this."

Mouri-san, who most likely couldn't hear anything of the conversation, spoke quite loudly to the nurse. "Those two," She pointed a sharp nailed finger at the man and the woman, obviously intending for them to hear. She must have intended it because she looked right at them while she spoke to the nurse and made her voice loud enough for everyone in the waiting room to hear. "They are NOT allowed to visit my sons, either of them! If you have to call security to restrain them, please feel free. If you have to call the police, again, feel free." Her eyes narrowed, dangerously. "I'll have a restraining order issued in the morning."

The look of outrage on the woman's face and the look of relief on the man's face was almost comical.

But there was no time for that and, frankly, Miko didn't even care who they were. She strode passed the irate Mouri-san, who still showed no inclination of moving from where she stood, and made her way to room 102. If she thought she was prepared for the worst, she was wrong. Touma was out of bed, sitting in a chair by the window, while Shin still lay in his. They'd been given a room together which was mostly likely a request by Shin's mothers, one of whom was sitting on the unoccupied bed with a paper cup of coffee in her hands.

"Oh, do we know you?" She asked. Neither Touma nor Shin looked like they were in any condition to do much of anything.

"I'm a friend." Miko assured her. "How are they?" Though both boys had their eyes open, she wasn't really sure if they were awake. She could hear their hearts beating, so they were definitely alive, but they just stared into empty space.

"We're awake, Nasty." Touma said from where he stared out the window. "Just feeling a bit…out, at the moment." He turned with a visible effort and she saw his eyes looked dull and lifeless. It worried Nasty terribly, she'd never seen her boys so poorly off. It was worse than when they'd been fighting. "Seen Ryou, lately?"

"No." Nasty went to Touma and put her hand on his forehead. No fever. That was good, at least. Then Miko could be fairly certain she could blame this lethargy on Ryou being missing. "I'm sorry. How are the others?"

Touma sucked in a deep breath and pushed himself up to sit a little straighter. "Sorry, about all this. Shin and I aren't really hurt, Nasty. We're just…kinda…tired, I guess is the right word for it." He didn't look well, no matter what he said. "Xiu called you, right? He said he did. Went and hurt his throat again doing it."

"Don't look like that," Shin spoke up for the first time. "He's not all that badly hurt. It's just going to take him a while to recover his voice." She didn't move a muscle when he spoke except for his mouth. For all that, he might have been dead. His skin was unbearably waxen and he lay on the bed in a sort of sprawl, like he'd tried to stand, but hadn't been able to quite make it and fallen. "Ryou's missing. Xiu told you that." Shin began to struggle until he managed to push himself upright. His mother watched his efforts without interfering with a worried frown. Shin cast her a look. "Don't cry, again, mum. Won't help anything." He rolled his shoulders and bent and unbent his legs. "Gotta get moving. Can't just lay about all day."

Shin managed to stand with just a little stumble. "There. See, nothing to it, mum."

'Mum' didn't look entirely convinced. "You'll be the death of me, child!" She stood up and went to him, petting his arm and brushing the hair out of his eyes. "You need a haircut."

"This is hardly the time, mum."

"Give me a break. I'm a mother. Details worry me." But she pulled herself away from Shin and forced a smile. "Why don't you two go take your friend to visit? You, too, Touma." She tugged on his arm until he stood and then helped him straighten his shirt. "The doctors say you're both fit, so you might as well stretch your legs. They say it was just shock that made you both faint. You're being officially discharged in a couple of hours so don't get too used to the room." She virtually shoved them all out of the room telling them that she was going pop down to the maternity ward - since she was there anyway she wanted to talk to her pediatrician - and if they still wanted to sleep they could do it just as well at home and to not even think about the sleep over they'd had planned for the dojo. They weren't leaving home until she was sure they were alright.

"She doesn't get it." Touma confided in Miko when they were in the hallway. "We're not really alright. We won't die, but Ryou's missing. You understand, don't you, Nasty?"

"I think so. Just don't push yourselves. We'll get Ryou back, no matter what." If she had to persuade Abraham to rouse the whole community, then she would do it. Whoever took Ryou no doubt caused great pain to her baby. She would have revenge, one way or the other. Whether or not Touma and Shin believed her, they didn't say. Most probably, they thought she was being foolish. Miko put one arm over each of their shoulders. 'Let them think what they like. I won't let them get hurt, again.'

It was just then that Miko realized someone was staring at her back. When she looked over her shoulder she was more than a little surprised to see one of her relatives, one of Abraham's children's children. He was very tall and brown with no hair at all and four hoop earrings in one ear. "Boys," She smiled at Shin and Touma. "You two go ahead. I have someone I have to speak to."

They both looked at the man, then shrugged at each other. "Yell out if you need us. Seiji's room's right up the hall." As if they could do anything to help if Aron should decide to attack. Not that he would. Aron was much smarter than that.

Miko urged them to go on without her and waited until she couldn't see them before she spoke to Aron. "You've gotten a new job."

"I always like the medical profession, Miko-san." He looked to where Shin and Touma had gone. "They're yours?"

"Yes. Why?"

He shrugged and gave a rueful smile. "Well, the blue haired one was rather pretty. I was rather hoping to have him as my own."

"Sorry." She patted his arm, good-naturedly. "He, and several others, are all mine. How many others are here?"

"Only two. Lili and Racksha in pediatrics and down the morgue." He gave her a closer look. "Something wrong, Miko-san?"

"Nothing I care to discuss in public." Another nurse passed by, forcing them to halt their conversation. When she'd passed Miko spoke again. "Be ready, though. Abraham is NOT happy at the moment."

"Something to do with those boys?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Otherwise, you'd be at his side, not here."

Miko stepped away from Aron. She'd always liked him. "I have to go see to my boys. Anything odd happens around here, let me know. If you see anyone who looks out of place, I want to know right away." After all, if someone had taken Ryou, there was no saying that they wouldn't try to take the rest of the boys.

Aron ran a hand over his bald head, a habit he'd had for a great many years. He wasn't as old as Miko, but he was a few decades old. "Out of place? Like the fae?"

It stopped Miko in her tracks. "Fae? There was a fae here?" The thought made her blood boil. No vampire liked the fae just as no fae liked the vampires. It was an ancient dislike and no one really knew why it had started in the first place. "There were fae and you didn't think to report it? What were you thinking, Aron! We could have been rid of one of those filthy creatures!"

"Well, she seemed harmless enough. I couldn't think what a fae would be doing in a hospital, though."

"Up to no good, I'll warrant!" Miko glowered at Aron. "Where is she? This disgusting trash! Where did she go?"

"Down to maternity, last time I saw her. She didn't seem like she was causing any trouble."

"All fae cause trouble. It's in their vile nature. Go down to maternity. If she's still here, you let me know. I'll take care of her personally."

Grandfather Date-

Date Kanto watched Seiji breathe. It was all Seiji could do. There was no sign of outward injury, but that really meant nothing. There had been some kind of injury to the head and, because of that, Seiji just didn't wake up. It felt like hours since he'd gotten the call from Mouri-san. 'It's not fair.' He thought, bitterly. 'I've already lost my son and my daughter-in-law. Why Seiji? Can't I have someone left? Fate took dear Akane and then took her life so cruelly. Why can't I have my grandson?" He wanted to scream, but that would not have done any good. Instead, Kanto took his grandson's hand in his and just held it.

"Date-san," It was the Mouri boy, Shin. He didn't look much improved from when Kanto had first seen him when he'd arrived at the hospital. At least now the boy was awake and walking. Ah, both boys. Touma stepped into the room behind Shin and then followed a young woman with very long brown hair. "May we visit?"

"Yes," Kanto stood and moved to offer the young woman with them a chair. "Please, I'm sure he'd be glad for the company." Maybe visitors would help. Maybe Seiji would hear their voices and wake. Maybe… 'He's the last of my line. The last hope my family has of continuing. I know I'll never have grandchildren, but…I had hoped I would live long enough to see my grandson grow into a man." Kanto thought of his other grandson who was missing. "Both my grandsons.'

The Date House-  
Byakuen-

There was no doubt in the wyrm's mind about what had happened. He'd arrived at the scene of the accident and the smell still lingered. A muddy sort of smell. What had happened was obvious. An imp had taken Ryou and, it knew, imps did not travel to Earth without reason. The only creatures who could command the stubborn little imps were the fae. The one who commanded the fae was the infamous Lady-Queen Sedari.

'That thing will taste my blade. I'll make her uglier than her worst nightmares! I'll carve off her face and mangle her body until not even her own mother would recognize her!'

For that, the wyrm needed its swords.

The wyrm appeared in its true form when it arrived in the Date house. It stormed through the house until it reached the room Ryou and Seiji had shared before they'd set out to the foreordained war. Of course, it was exactly where Ryou had left it - tucked under the bed he'd used for only a few short months.

"Blade of my forbearers," The wrym cried when he pulled the elegant katana from under the bed. It's blade shone in the dim light and the ruby eye of the dragon hilt glimmered. "Your place is in my hand, my will is yours." It held the katana up to it's lizard-like face. It had been a long time since it had held the Ryoken in its clawed hand and how right it felt to hold the ancient weapon, again. He needed only the twin and then all would be right, again.

The eye of the dragon, the tiny ruby Ryou had lovingly polished so often in his childhood, flared to life and began to glow with the promise of battle.

To be continued… 


	10. Torture

Chapter 10: Torture

Jomai-

"What do you mean, it wasn't Ari you were trying to lure out? If not him, then who?"

Bion looked entirely too pleased with himself for Jomai's peace of mind. He fairly preened under her steady gaze, if it was possible to preen while wrestling with a broken door. Little Liun was fussing in Jomai's arms, waving her little arms around and Bion smiled at the child. "Father will be with you in a minute, daska. Little daska. As for Ari, he was the next step. I just wanted the boy to lure out the dhampire."

"What makes you think Ryou would have anything to do with a dhampire?" Jomai found herself unaccountably angry. The dhampires had too many ties with vampires, for better or worse, and Jomai's heritage roared at her that vampires were disgusting parasites, good for nothing but killing. She'd had a few run-ins with vampires in the past and none had left her with a good impression of their species. Dhampires couldn't possibly be any better. "He's a good boy. He wouldn't associate with things like that!"

"Your species' prejudice is glaringly obvious. Be careful or you'll be mistaken for a fae."

"That's not funny."

"It wasn't meant to be. Quite seriously, you're the strangest fae I've ever seen. You can think, you may as well do it. As for your Ryou, I could smell the dhampire on him a mile away. The boy knew him, when I'd described the dhampire. It would have been so easy to draw out the dhampire by using him. Now that Sedari…oh. Sorry. Now that our beloved Lady-Queen has taken him and is doing whatever she pleases with him,"

Jomai felt the blood rush from her head at that as all the awful things a fae could do to humans ran though her mind.

"Now that she has him," Bion continued. "I suppose she'll attract the dhampire's attention as I'd wanted. Her only problem is that she isn't expecting him to appear. She's expecting Ari. Of course, the dhampire, when he finds Ryou in the hands of the Lady-Queen, will warn Ari and he won't make his appearance."

It did make sense and Jomai bit back a laugh. "She's going to be terribly disappointed." Somehow, Jomai didn't feel too terribly bad for the Lady-Queen. "Regardless, we can't leave Ryou in her hands."

"What do you mean 'we'?" Bion stopped fiddling with the door and went to take his daughter from Jomai. "I did my job. What happens to him now isn't any of my concern."

Instead of having his baby in his arms, Bion found himself faced with a handful of razor sharp fingernails and a furious fae. "It is your concern because if you don't help me save him, I'll skin your face off your skull. You're the one who got him into this, you'll get him out!"

"I was under orders from the Lady-Queen. What did you expect me to do? Disobey?" Bion wanted his daughter, but Jomai was a very intimidating female and her rage was towering, an inferno. "She'd have killed my mate and my daughter, not to mention me."

"Your species cowards before Sedari like so many rabbits." Jomai couldn't help but spit the Lady-Queen's name. "All the people of Tintagel do. I almost wish she'd find her Ari just to put and end to her madness, but if she could have him, I think she'd torture him more than she has anyone else." Her face hardened and her grip on Luin tightened. "You'll have your child, I guarantee that, but only after you help me."

Bion threw his hands up in the air, helpless. "What do you expect of me? I'm only an imp. You think I can do anything to interfere with the Lady-Queen? I can't even walk down the halls of her castle without looking suspicious."

"I'm not asking you to get involved with any fighting or even any subterfuge. I want you to do what you're best at." She smiled sweetly. "I want you to FIND."

"Find? Find what?" It was what he was best at. Of all his species, Bion was the best Finder. That was how he'd managed to track down Ryou, by finding the best way to lure out the dhampier and, therefore, Ari. It was his cursed curiosity that made Bion want to get involved.

"A way into the Castle of Light." She grinned at him and stroked Luin's head. "Can you do it?"

"I found a path to a man who should be dead, didn't I? Trust me. I can find you a back door."

Ryou-

The woman held a hand before her that reminded Ryou uncomfortably of a talon and she made a beckoning motion. "Make...it come to me." She command and it occurred to Ryou that she wasn't talking to him, but to the guards who still held him securely by the arms.

Each guard gave Ryou a slight tug on the arm and he walked forward. He thought that he had never seen such a beautiful face, or it would have been beautiful had it not been for the terrible sneer she wore. Lips that should have been delicate were twisted into a parody of a smile. Ryou didn't like it at all when she touched his face with one of her fingers, almost cautiously at first, as if she were afraid to.

"So...this is what my Ari likes?" Her hand was warm where she touch Ryou and he felt sure, very suddenly, that he could love her. She was beautiful and that scowl, it was just a slight frown, really. The woman's eyes were different, Ryou thought as he looked at her. The color was a little to vibrant a green and her eyes were simply to large. They were slanted upwards at a graceful angle, but they were to big. Not freakish, exactly, but far larger than any human eye should be. She was so beautiful...

'Stop it!' The voice in Ryou's head gave him a jolt. 'She's just using glamour on you, it's a kind of magic. Think about something else.'

'Rekka? Where are you? I can't feel you properly.' It seemed further away than it ever had before even though the orb was resting securely in Ryou's pocket. 'What do you want me to think about?' Ryou found that he really didn't want to think about anything other than the beautiful woman touching his face. She seemed fascinated just to touch him and rub her fingers over his skin.

'Anything. Get your mind off her.'

'But...'

'Now!'

The barked order made Ryou obey. He thought of his last algebra test and tried to remember all the questions. He hated math, really hated it. Touma was a patient teacher and had stayed up all night once to help Ryou study. He tried remembering all those equations and formulas that seemed so senseless and felt as if he were being drawn back into his own mind. The woman didn't look quite so beautiful as she had a moment ago and Ryou didn't like her touch.

Apparently, the woman noticed Ryou's lack of interest and it didn't please her. "Chain him to the wall."

Ryou's shoulders heaved and he took a deep, shuddering breath but he didn't fight when the guards dragged him back to the wall and fastened his wrists to the wall above his head.

Lady-Queen Sedari-

When she went to the great depths of her castle Sedari found herself standing in front of the human boy, Ryou. He was mewling like a wounded animal when he was bound to the wall. Well, why shouldn't he? The dungeon was dark and cold, certainly not a place to feel good. Even Sedari didn't like the place much and it was hers.

He looked, to Sedari, typical for a human. Over muscled, like a horse, and crude just to look at. His browned skin and lank hair the color of ink. Nothing appealing about him at all. He didn't even have the decency to keep his eyes lowered when she came into the room.

How he had managed to dismiss her glamour was a marvel and a miracle. Not even other fae could push her influence away so easily and humans had far weaker minds than fae. Yet, he had done it.

That dull face, those listless eyes, hid a secret. He did know Ari, but by a different name. Sedari reached out her hand to the boy and stroked the side of his face, making him moan softly and turn his head as far away from her as he could. He still hadn't recovered from her little peek into his mind, apparently.

Gen Ma-Sho Rajura, the warlord of Illusion. Ari had changed not only his name, but his whole being. She'd seen him in Ryou's mind wearing dark armor that was not Earthly made or even from any smith in Tintagel. The weapons he'd had and the fearsome helmet that looked like it was mounted with antlers, it was all so different from the gentle child she remembered. His eye was still missing and his long hair was still white as moonlight, but he soared into battle, an eagle. Ryou feared Rajura greatly along with another creature that was long since dead.

Now how had Ari come from the vast, cold lands of his childhood to being the minion of a demon? Then to help in overthrowing that demon and now…

One of Ryou's memories flashed into Sedari's mind.

The girl was very young with long black hair and red marks beside her eyes. Ari bowed to her. He bowed…to HER! It was enough to make Sedari's heart thunder in her chest. Who was that whelp that she thought she could command darling Ari so easily?

Ryou cried out, but didn't open his eyes. The sound was enough to remind Sedari of where she was. Her hand was still on Ryou's face, but when she'd thought of that girl Ryou knew as Kayura her fingers hand clenched and she'd scratched four long, bloody gnashes in Ryou's face. She stared at the blood and watched it drip down Ryou's cheek until it ran onto his chin, then dripped down to fall on the boy's foot.

"So," Sedari spoke, even though she wasn't sure the boy would hear her. "I know all your secrets, now. Ryou no Rekka. Your friends…your pain. I know it all, there's no point in keeping you, now." He was useless. "Still…Bion had a reason." The imp was too clever to NOT have a reason for retrieving Ryou. "I can't see the reason, though. You know my darling Ari, even though you did lie to me about that, but you hold no affection for him nor do you have contact with him. So why did Ari think you would be useful?"

Ryou looked up at here, then, finally prying his eyes open. There was pain and anger in his eyes, laced heavily with fear.

"Poor thing." It really wasn't his fault. He hadn't chosen to do war against Ari. It was the fault of the armor that had chosen Ryou. "And," Sedari continued her thoughts aloud, though she really didn't care whether or not Ryou heard her. "If the armor chose you, and all your friends as you imagine, then it also chose my Ari. It's the fault of the armor that he's away from me. If I can get rid of the armor," She started to smile, pleased with her idea. "Then my Ari will be free. He'll be able to come back to me."

Ryou's eyes widened, the pain and anger both giving way to fear. No. It was greater than fear, it was terror.

"You look worried. Don't be. It's for your own good. If that armor hadn't chosen you, then you never would have been involved with the war. You never would have hurt. Besides," She laughed happily, more than pleased at her brilliant plan. "You've wished for this more than once. I've seen it in your mind. You've wished to have never heard of Yoroi or Rekka. I'm just going to make your dream come true."

"No." Ryou tried to pull his head away from her, but there wasn't much room to move it and he ended up hitting his head on the stone wall behind him. "That's not what I want!"

What a silly boy. "Of course it is. Don't be afraid. It's a favor to you. But, first…what's that smell?" She raised her bloody fingers to her face and inhaled deeply. It wasn't human, well, not entirely human. The blood was mostly human, but there was something else in there. Something very, very different. Something that Sedari had never smelled before.

No matter.

Sedari let her hand drop to her side and focused on what was important. Her promise to Ryou about helping him to rid himself of the armor that plagued his life was nearly forgotten. Ari. Ari preferred mortals. He'd spent time with this weak thing Sedari now had hung on her wall like fine art. He spent time with a dhampire. As Ari preferred mortals, then the answer to all Sedari's problems was simple.

"I must be mortal." Did she say that out loud? No matter. There was no one to hear but the human and even if he had overheard, what could he do? There was a process for what Sedari needed and, in order to do it, she needed a mortal life. One that hadn't yet been born.

"Your majesty," There were three males standing near the foot of the stairway that led up to the rest of the castle. They all blanched when Sedari frowned at them. "Please, your majesty. If this," The spokesman pointed at Ryou. "Is what you wish to be, then we must study him so that we will know how to care for you. We know nothing about humans."

"You know nothing about anything." Sedari giggled at her own joke. "It's a sensible thought. I'm surprised it came from your brain. Whatever you do, you mustn't kill him. I'm going to help him once I've finished with him. Then I'll kill him. He keeps looking at me funny. It's like he's angry or something. Do what you have to do. If he dies, I'll hold you all responsible." With that threat, she swept away and up the stairs, ready to begin the next phase of her plan.

To become mortal for Ari.

Ningen Sekai-

The Ningen Sekai was a filthy place, but it was the best place to get what she needed. It was more information she'd gotten from Ryou. Such a good boy to give it to her so easily. She needed a life, a mortal life, to usurp. A life untouched by any trauma to make her own. It was lucky chance that Ryou knew a new life still in development. It took Sedari time, though not much, to find the life Ryou had known about.

Eventually, she came to the right place. A massive building of metal and glass, shining in the evening light like a monolith, some monstrous shrine dedicated to a human god. She even paused a moment to stare at the place in awe. It rivaled even the Castle of Light in sheer size.

Not that Sedari would ever admit that anything a mere human could build could rival her own beloved castle. She'd worked hard enough for it. Killing her father had been the last in a long line of subtle plots that secured Sedari as ruler of Tintagel. She was more than happy to use the power she'd fought for. She liked to know that every stone of the castle belonged to her. She liked to know that everyone in the castle hung on her whim. She controlled everything and everyone loved her. How could they not? Was she not perfection? Of course she was. So why did that sad little human boy keep crying? Not that it mattered. Ryou could cry till his eyes floated out of his head, his comfort was not of any importance. All that mattered was Ari and why that lowly human smelled like Ari.

It was only a faint smell, but it was enough to tell Sedari that sometime, quite recently, the human boy had come into contact with Ari and he'd admit nothing. Well! Of all the arrogance! Not that she had to ask. Pulling the information from him was good enough. She knew Ari was alive, despite all the spiteful people who'd told her he must have died in the years since she'd seen him.

'He wouldn't. He wants to be with me. He's alive because he wants to be with me. He's cheated death for me and now I'll sacrifice for him, just as he's done for me.' If anyone had bothered to look at her when she entered the sliding glass doors of the hospital's waiting room, they'd have seen a mad glimmer in her eyes. A too bright shine that no sane person would have. The purposeful stride she set and the bustling waiting room ensured that no one saw her eyes or even really looked at her. 'If Ari wanted a human, then a human he shall have.'

Sedari looked down at her white hands as she walked along the cold, sterile hall. The changes would have to be radical, but she would capture Ari's attention again. He would adore her, just like all the others. He would touch her hands and whisper to her in the first light of day. It would be just as she'd always wished.

The place was filthy, crawling with humans. Pale green walls and white tiled floors, along with disinfectant, gave the place and unreal air, at least to Sedari. She disliked the place she'd appeared in, but there was really no choice. She knew that this was where humans came when they were to have their young.

She had to hold her breath as she walked through the halls, but held herself proudly and smiled when she noticed the vampire. He didn't dare attack her. Of course he didn't. She was Lady-Queen. She was Sedari. Who would dare such a doomed folly? Let them watch her as she passed, let them tremble - as they must have done - she had only one purpose.

'Ari prefers mortals?' Her mind kept revolving around that thought even as she searched the hospital halls for some sign of the woman she'd seen in Ryou's mind.

That was the reason why the imp had brought the human boy back to Tintagel, wasn't it? Surely, he had some connection with Ari. There could be no other explanation for his appearance. It seemed likely, to Sedari, that the boy was the one with whom Ari had been spending time. Ryou was not the feared dhampire, that much was clear. He was wholly human. The only evidence Sedari had about his connection with dear Ari was smell. Fae did not have as fine a sense of scent as many other creatures, but Sedari's was fine enough to catch Ari's fading scent on the boy.

Ryou.

His name was Ryou. Someone had mentioned that, though why Sedari remembered it was a mystery. It didn't matter. She had the boy and Ari would come for him. Yes, that must have been the imp's plan. Why should she care about his name? Why should she care anything about him?

'But he's had Ari's attention when it should have been mine!' The thought drifted across Sedari's mind and brought with it, anger and confusion. 'Why? He has me. Why would he spend his time with that mud-crawling human? I am more beautiful. My power is vast, far more than any human could hope for. Why should Ari chose that gnat over me?'

It was then that Sedari saw the woman. She was a mature human, but one of the ugliest Sedari had ever seen. Her hair was the color of tree bark and too wild to be contained in the plait the woman had wrestled it into. Her skin was dark. Not quite as dark as many creatures Sedari had seen, but too dark for a fae and the fae were, as everyone knew, the pinnacle of beauty. She was small, too. Short and narrow with no curves at all. Her bony wrists stuck out from the end of her sleeves and her ankles, bare for the sandals she wore,. She might have been the ankles of a skeleton they protruded so viciously. Even her clothes were ugly, though that seemed to be normal for humans. Coarse, harsh fabrics in unflattering styles.

She, this ugly woman, was also pregnant. She was the one in Ryou's memory.

'What luck! What spending luck!' Sedari cheered, silently.

"Can I help you?" The woman was suddenly speaking to Sedari. How odd. Still, Sedari wasn't too put off that the woman had managed to catch her unawares.

"Yes. I've been looking for you." She exerted a little control and the woman sagged to the floor. When she struck her head on the floor with a resounding 'thwack', Sedari was comforted and knew the woman wouldn't wake up any time soon.

The halls were quiet but for the muffled sound of babies wailing, but the sound wasn't enough to draw Sedari's attention away from her new pet. No. Maybe pet was the wrong word. After all, she didn't intend to keep this one. She just wanted what was inside.

Triumphantly, she turned, ready to leave the awful place. Only when she'd turned around did she see the man. He was as plain as Ari was beautiful. So plain that he was ugly and he stared at her from behind black glasses that protected him from her glamour. "Problem?" The man looked at the woman on the floor and then back up at Sedari. "Hardly the place for cat-fights."

He was talking to her? So brazenly, without any decent manners? Did this stinking human not know to bow before his betters? His hands tucked unceremoniously into his pockets and staring at her as if she were some common woman - it was unforgivable!

"Begone." She said, contemptuously even as she picked up her prize and slung her over a shoulder. "My business here is done."

"Yeah, maybe." He gestured at the sleeping woman. "That's a nice lady you've hurt."

"If I wished for you're opinion I'd have asked. Out of my way."

"Sure. Just give me the lady." He shrugged nonchalantly and drew a hand out of his pocket to push his dark glasses further up on his nose. "Wouldn't papa be surprised? Me…playing knight in shining armor."

A knight? Sedari remembered knights from her childhood. Unscrupulous dogs to man. 'If this one wants to be one,' She thought with vile pleasure. 'Then I'll treat him like one. Father always said knights were best when starved to death. It teaches them humility.' She stepped closer and smiled as sweetly as she could. "Then, o knight, pray tell me your name."

"Michael. Now give me…" Michael hadn't been prepared for fae strength.

Sedari's blow on the side of his head lay the man out, making him crumple to the floor, senseless. Even more pleased than before, Sedari touched the man with the toe of her foot and brought them all to Tintagel with a thought. The guards waiting for her were shocked to see the two humans, but Sedari briskly got to business and handed the woman over to two of her soldiers. "Be gentle with her and come with me." She warned. The soldiers who picked up the body of the man weren't nearly so careful. "That one," She instructed. "Take him somewhere and lock him up." What happened to him after that, Sedari really didn't care.

Tintagel-  
Ryou-

Ryou was scared of the woman and he was glad she'd left. He didn't admit it often to anyone, but a great many things scared Ryou. He'd spent a good part of his life running away or hiding just to survive. It had given him good reflexes about who and what was dangerous. He knew the look of a person that was not to be trusted and he should run away. He knew when an animal was dangerous and he should avoid them. He knew when storms turned bad he had to find shelter. That woman, though…she was like all of them wrapped up in one. A storm, an animal, and a devious human all boiling together under the deceptive skin of a…what was she?

Whatever these people were, the woman scared Ryou the most. There was just something terribly wrong with her. The way she smiled too brightly and her eyes were too shiny. The three studying him at the moment didn't reassure Ryou any, either.

They weren't human, but what they were he couldn't say. Their skin was the wrong shade and they…they were looking at Ryou like he was an insect under a microscope. The men - Ryou was pretty sure they were men - surrounded him and Ryou found himself wishing the wall would swallow him up or that he could at least contact the others.

He felt so isolated. When he shifted, trying to get away from one man's prodding finger, his hip ground against the stone wall and Ryou felt a familiar little lump in his pocket. The orb. At least he still had it. It was a comfort to know it was still in his pocket, though he couldn't feel Rekka burning in the deepest pit of his mind like it usually did.

A sharp pain made Ryou hiss and he kicked at the man who's poked him in the head.

"The injury," The man told one of his companions. "Isn't terribly sever, not so dangerous as it appears. The imp did his job well."

"Yes, but will it heal? The Lady-Queen wants this creature alive."

"We'll do our best."

"Our best may not be enough. I don't know about you, but I've never studied one of these things before. We might not be able to put it together again after we've finished. They aren't like us, you know. Fragile."

There was another poke to Ryou's head, sending a flash of pain through his body and he thrashed. His legs, thankfully, had been left free and Ryou kicked, again. This time, he almost made contact. It was close enough that he send the men scattering. "Keep your hands off me." He grumbled. There was little to no hope of being freed, Ryou was cynical enough not to bother asking. At least his feet were free, Ryou knew he was lucky enough to have that much. "Don't touch me." If only his head would stop throbbing, Ryou was sure he'd be able think of a way out.

The three men looked at each other, uncertainly. Hadn't they expected him to speak?

"Amazing." One of the men turned to the other two, completely ignoring Ryou. "I had no idea that human language was so similar to our own. Understandable, yet remarkably more coarse. Look and see how he twitches. It's obviously a panic response related to being bound. Animals are notoriously sensitive about that sort of thing." Then he turned and gave Ryou and exaggerated, false smile. "Don't…worry." He said, slowly and loudly as if he were talking to an idiot. "We'll take…good care…of you."

Good care? "Then let me go."

All three of them laughed at that and moved away from him without answering. They messed about for a few minutes out of Ryou's line of sight. He tried to look to where they were, but couldn't quite see them. He didn't want to know what they were doing because he knew it had something to do with him and what they were going to do with him. He pulled at the chains holding his wrists to the walls, but couldn't budge them. Unlike all the movies, there wasn't a chain to give Ryou at least a little room to move. The wide metal manacles clamped around his wrists were fastened directly to the wall and every move he made had the metal digging painfully into Ryou's wrists.

There was movement, half-hidden in the shadows of the torchlight. A pain filled moan and a whimper made Ryou strain to see what was in the shadows. The woman who'd caused so much pain before, who'd stolen all his secrets with just a touch, was back but it wasn't her who was moaning and that worried Ryou. Who else did they have in this dungeon? The others could have been captured, too. If he'd been taken, there was nothing to say that this woman hadn't taken Seiji, Xiu, Shin, or Touma. Any one of them would have been easy targets after the accident.

The accident. 'I wasn't dreaming. This is NOT the Youja Kai. I don't know where it is, but it's not the Youja Kai. The war is over.' Just thinking that made Ryou feel a bit braver. 'But the others…what if they're dead? No. Touma and Shin weren't even in the car wreck.'

"I'm back." Sedari sang out as if it would cheer Ryou. She honestly looked disappointed by the grim expression Ryou wore. "Didn't you miss me? No matter. I've brought more guests." Sedari looked over her shoulder and smiled, pleased.

Even to Ryou, the smile was beautiful. It was awful. She was like a the sun. Amazingly beautiful, yet fatal if one were to get too close. "Lights," She waved a hand easily in the air. "Enhance." Instantly there was more light in the room, as candles appeared and the torches on the walls grew brighter. What the light revealed made Ryou's heart sink and his fury rear up.

Shin's mum.

She was unconscious, but stirring as she was held carelessly between two tall guards who looked strangely similar. Her limp hair was falling loose from her braid and she looked even more drawn than usual. On the side of her face was a large, darkening bruise.

"Let her go." Ryou snarled, straining at the chains that held him so tightly to the wall. He knew it would do no good, but how could he let her be manhandled so callously? Especially considering her condition! "She hasn't got anything to do with anything!"

Sedari looked at Ryou as if surprised that he'd spoken. It was like she'd only just realized he was there. "She has as much to do with anything as you do. Well, maybe not her, precisely." She walked away from Ryou, which pleased him, and to Shin's mum, which didn't please him. "But the life she carries will be a treasure to keep." She bent down low enough to put her hand on Shin's mum's slightly bulging stomach. It made Ryou feel sick to see her touching the gentle woman. "Such a strong life. Did you know that mortal lives are stronger before they are born? I always wondered why."

"Get away from her." Again, Ryou futilely pulled at the chains, but the only thing that accomplished was making them rattle. "I'll kill you, get away from her!"

When his captor looked up at Ryou, her eyes glimmered with something wicked. "I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, she's very useful. With her, I will make Ari love me as he should. I believe that it's a mortal he wishes for, but he has been keeping company with the dhampire, if the rumors are true. Well…mortal or dhampire, I'll give him exactly what he desires." She laughed and it was that laugh, more than anything else, that made Ryou afraid. "Put her somewhere comfortable and see that she's fed when she wakes." Sedari stood up straight and addressed the guards who held Shin's mum then turned to one of the three scientists who'd come to study Ryou. "You," She jabbed a finger at him imperiously. "Will make sure to her safety and health. She's not to stay down here. Take her somewhere more comfortable. One of the guest rooms. We mustn't have her getting upset. Have fresh clothes set out for her and a warm bath. But," She gave the guards a significant look. "You two stay outside her door. We wouldn't want her disturbed."

"Yes, my Lady-Queen." They answered in unison.

Helplessly, Ryou watched as Sedari swept out of the dungeon followed by the guards dragging Shin's mum and one of the terrible scientists. There was nothing he could do without his power. In this place, wherever he was, it seemed that Rekka had abandoned him. All it could do was talk to him and even then it seemed tired.

Ryou had never known such utter despair.

If he could get just one hand free, Ryou was sure…no. Even that was no good. 'I don't even know where I am. I can't feel anyone.' But Ryou stopped himself at that thought. His friends weren't dead. He had to hold onto that thought. It didn't seem right, anyway. 'But I can't leave without Mouri-san.'

One of the strange looking men came back to Ryou and took Ryou's face in his hands. Ryou lashed a kick out at him, but the man was being careful to stay just out of the way. "Where am I?" Ryou said though gritted teeth. At that point, he thought that any information would be welcome. "How'd I get here?" He knew for a fact that Touma had been with him right before all this had happened. He'd spoken to Touma. The others were close by, too. He'd sensed Shin's fear and Xiu's pain while Seiji drifted in unconsciousness. These people who searched for Ari might very well have hurt the others.

"He's almost like a real person, isn't he?" The man said to his companions over his shoulder. "Really, they way they speak just astounds me."

They were doctors or scientists of some kind, Ryou was pretty sure. They'd talked about studying him, though Ryou wasn't entirely sure why. Something about the woman wanting to become mortal or dhampire. Dhampire? Now why did that sound familiar? Whatever it meant, Ryou was the lab rat for their experiments and there didn't seem to be anything he could do to change that. 'We all know what happens to lab rats, don't we?' Ryou remembered all the movies he'd ever watched with the others about scientific experiments on animals. 'They'll kill me in the end. They don't need me for anything, so they'll kill me once they've found out what they want to find out.' He had it in mind to fight and scream, at least show some defiance. Even if it wasn't practical or dignified. He wouldn't just lay back and let himself die.

Ryou had survived so much. His granma's death. His father's madness. Bishop Brannon's attentions. His mother's death. To give up at this point, when the war had been won and everything was starting to settle down, seemed like the greatest of foolishness. A real waste.

'Yoko would pinch my arm if she thought I'd roll over and die. Joji would smack me on the head.' But, of course, neither Yoko nor Joji were alive anymore. Yoko was murdered and Joji had died defending her. Seemed like a lot of people died around Ryou.

"Right, are we ready?" The man holding Ryou's face turned it this way and that, trying to see every inch of Ryou's face and even bringing himself close enough to look right into Ryou's eyes. "Blue." He said, somewhat astonished. "What a bright color to be wasted on a human. Still, no time to be lost." He waved a hand in front of Ryou's face and then everything changed.

It was a sort of lethargy that swept over Ryou. He hadn't the strength to keep his eyes open, let alone fight for himself and found himself with his head bowed and eyes closed. He hung loosely on his bonds, the metal biting at his flesh, making Ryou think the metal would cut his hands off. What would he do if that happened? If these scientists decided to cut off his hands? He wouldn't be able to fight. He wouldn't even be able to hold the Ryoken and that thought, more than any other, terrified Ryou.

His mouth hung open, he could feel that. He could feel the air drying his tongue and gums. His armpits hurt from the way he was hanging, but Ryou couldn't gather up the strength to straighten his legs and stand. Instead, he just hung there and let his arms hurt. Which, in turn, made his back and shoulders protest.

The hands were still all over his face. It was a cold, clinical touch and Ryou was quite grateful for that, at least. If it had been anything more…intimate, Ryou knew he wouldn't have been able to handle it. To be helpless at the mercy of a stranger was bad enough , but to know that he couldn't even scream made it a true nightmare.

The moved him, taking off the manacles and holding him up by the arms. "Put him on the table just there. Easy, now. We don't want any damage done, yet."

If Ryou could have distanced himself from the emotions that overwhelmed him, he'd have thought that it was an odd experience. He could feel everything. He could hear everything. The toes of his shoes being scraped along the stone floor when he was half-carried away from the wall to the sounds of the heartbeat of the man on his left who was holding him so close that Ryou's head lolled against his chest.

"Ek!" The man on the left suddenly released Ryou and he fell to the floor in a helpless lump. "It touched me!"

"Look," The other one said. "This is a dirty job, but it's an honor. The Lady-Queen is depending on us. What if something goes wrong with the transfer? We need to be able to help her. If you're squeamish about this sort of thing, a little touch from a human, then you shouldn't have volunteered for this. Before this is over," He laughed lightly. "You'll be getting a lot more on you than just his skin. Blood and body fluids. Tears, maybe." He said it with a kind of sadistic glee one only got from mocking one's coworkers. He didn't seem to be trying to frighten Ryou, didn't even seem aware that Ryou was even awake. "If we have to, you might even find yourself elbow deep in flesh." He laughed again. "Look at you shake! Didn't know what you were in for, did you?"

"Stop it!"

"Oh, don't worry. You have to learn sometime. Go on, pick him up, again. No good to just leave him like that. You're pale as a ghost! Come on, you know as well as I do that he can't feel a thing when he's like this. What do you think I am? Cruel?"

He wasn't joking, Ryou realized with a panicked sort of inner-laugh. He really didn't think Ryou was aware of what was going on. 'And I can't tell them I'm still awake.'

Picked up, though gingerly, Ryou was again carried across the floor and then pulled up onto a raised platform. It was the table they'd just been talking about. Ryou felt his heart speed up and his stomach churned uneasily. 'Lab rats get dissected.' He thought. 'Eyes put out, limbs cut off, poisoned…all in the name of science.' And that was what they were about to do to him. 'Elbow deep in flesh, he said.'

"Why is he still dressed?" One of the men asked. Ryou was starting to loose track of who was who. They all sounded very much alike when he couldn't see them. "Get them off. Can't do a thing when he's like that." While they stripped him of his clothes, Ryou was thankful that his body seemed to have been shut off. At least that way, he knew there wouldn't be any embarrassing reactions.

Ryou's eye lids were pulled open and he stared into the faces of the men bending over him. Ryou's chest tightened at the feeling of claustrophobia.

I'M WITH YOU.

Ryou started at the half-familiar voice that spoke to him again. It was the same voice that had spoken to him before and it still sounded angry. He was glad for it. With that voice, he didn't feel quite so isolated, even if he didn't know who the voiced belonged to. WHO ARE YOU?

YOU KNOW ME. The voice sounded evasive. ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU'RE FRIGHTENED.

Ryou wanted to deny it. One didn't just tell strangers that one was weak, after all. But, if this person was already inside his head, then it didn't make any difference. It wasn't Rekka. It wasn't any of his friends. Ryou thought that, maybe, he was talking to himself. Maybe he'd taken a bigger bump to the head than he'd thought. One look at the men hovering over him and Ryou thought that was the most likely course. Surely, things like that couldn't really exist.

PLEASE , DON'T BE AFRAID. The voice paused and sounded pained. TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE. I'LL HELP YOU.

HOW?

I CAN DO MANY THINGS. I CAN HELP YOU. WHERE ARE YOU?

I DON'T KNOW. Ryou tried to at least look around, but even his eyes wouldn't do what they were supposed to do. I CAN'T MOVE. THEY DID SOMETHING TO ME.

THEY WHO?

FUNNY LOOKING PEOPLE. BIG EYES. WHITE SKIN. TALL.

FAIR HAIR?

YES.

The voice didn't answer for a minute and Ryou had the very definite feeling that the person whom belonged to the voice was angry. FAE. It came out like a snarl. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. BACKSTABBING, DISHONEST CRETINS! The ferocity of his hate ran around inside Ryou's head, a squirrel running madly around his brain, the hate was unbelievably intense. FAE!

One of the men turned away from Ryou and walked away while the other two kept staring at him. When he returned, he handed some instrument to one of the other men. It was he, Ryou was sure, who'd done most of the talking and who'd teased one of the younger ones. He must have been the leader. "Where do you want to start?" The instrument he handed his leader was deceptively pretty. It was bladed along one edge and serrated on the other. Light from the torches and lanterns reflected off the thing and made it glitter like a macabre Christmas ornament. "IF we're not allowed to kill it, then we can't do too much invasive investigation."

"Don't be too sure. We can find out enough. It's not as if we're starting out blind. There've been studies done on humans before. We know the basic skeletal construction. I'm more interested in the muscular structure and nervous system, at this time." He held the instrument with both hands as he looked at his companions. "The immune system might be a valuable thing to study, as well."

"The what?"

"Immune system. Keeps humans from getting sick."

The other man frowned. "Sick?"

"I hear an echo. Are you trying to make me cross? Yes, sick. Humans get sick and we need to prevent or at least control any illness that might infect the Lady-Queen." When he said those last words, the man's face practically glowed. He looked radiant when the words 'Lady-Queen' left his mouth.

At first, it looked like love, to Ryou. He'd seen that look on Xiu's face so often when he looked at Seiji. Then, when Ryou thought about it and when he saw that the same adoring look took hold of the other two men, he changed his mind. That wasn't love. It couldn't be. It was too mechanical. The expressions the three men wore were all exactly the same. No on in all of creation could equal Xiu's devotion, his single-minded worship when he looked at Seiji and vice versa.

ARE YOU STILL THERE?

ALWAYS. I CAN FEEL YOUR FEAR. TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE.

I CAN'T. I DON'T KNOW. IT'S COLD AND THERE ARE STONE WALLS AND FLOORS. LANTERNS AND TORCHES FOR LIGHT. THE WOMAN JUST LEFT.

WHAT WOMAN?

THEY CALLED HER THE LADY-QUEEN. It was all Ryou had to offer and he felt the other's disappointment and frustration. WHO ARE YOU?

YOU KNOW ME.

I DON'T.

I HAVE FAMILY WHO WILL HELP. DON'T LET YOURSELF FALL AWAY FROM ME. I WILL HELP.

How, Ryou had no idea. He clung to the voice, though. When the three men made to finish stripping off his clothes, Ryou pushed himself closer to the voice. It felt cool and comfortable, like an old sweater. It wasn't until one of them tried to remove the crucifix that Ryou started to truly panic. It was his last and only reminder of sister Jo. She'd given up such a splendid thing for him, how could he just let it be taken? But no matter how hard he tried, his body wouldn't move.

The treasure wasn't lost, however.

The one who'd taken hold of the crucifix suddenly cried out and snatched his hand away from the necklace. "It burns!" He told the other two through clenched teeth. "Like ice and fire all in one!" He held out his hand as evidence close enough for Ryou to see that his hand was actually smoking. "Iron! The cursed thing is iron!" He spat these words and glared, not at Ryou, but at the necklace still resting on Ryou's bare chest.

IRON! The voice nearly laughed and glee washed around Ryou, though it did little to cheer him. LUCKY BOY! THE BEST PROTECTION ONE CAN HAVE AGAINST THE FAE.

IT'S NOT IRON. IT'S SILVER. SISTER JO TOLD ME SO.

THEN SHE WAS WRONG. FAE HAVE NO TROUBLES WITH SILVER, IT'S ONLY IRON THAT REPULSES THEM. STAY CLOSE TO ME. I DON'T LIKE THIS.

Ningen Sekai-  
Anubisu-

Rajura went to find Abraham and he took Kayura with him. Abraham knew it was where Rajura would go. Ever the strategist, Rajura must have known that gathering allies was the wisest move at this point. It was an interesting idea that he'd chosen to bring Kayura with him. After all, she was the empress and perhaps Rajura figured that a show of power would make Abraham more likely to help. It was a sound idea. Vampires were always impressed by power and Abraham hadn't met anyone who could come close to matching his power for a long time. Perhaps Kayura, though young, would influence him to help.

'He'd help for my sake, if for no other reason.' Anubisu thought. In the Ningen Sekai, Anubisu hadn't bothered to shed his yoroi. Why should he? Did he have anything to fear? No. There were no enemies to hide from but the people who'd taken Ryou. 'Should have gone to him earlier and tried to explain. I might have been with him when the attack happened. Might have protected him.' He couldn't fool himself any longer. He couldn't tell himself that it was nothing but bloodlust that drew him to Ryou. 'They touched what was mine. They hurt him!'

CALM YOURSELF. Naaza soft voice spoke with serene reason. MAY I PRESUME YOU'VE GONE TO THE SITE OF THE ATTACK?

I'M THERE NOW. Anubisu glared blackly at the yellow police tape surrounding the overturned vehicle and the dispersing crowds of people. They stared at him, especially the men in blue uniforms. Their suspicious gazes followed him as Anubisu stalked around the upturned car. I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING. NO CLUES OR REASONS FOR ALL THIS.

REASON MEANS LOGIC. THEREFORE, WHOEVER HAS DONE THIS HAS NO SENSE OF LOGIC. THERE'S DANGER IN THAT.

SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU BECOME SO PHILOSOPHICAL?

PERHAPS I'VE ALWAYS BEEN AND YOU JUST HAVEN'T NOTICED.

WHERE ARE YOU?

AT A HOSPITAL LOOKING FOR THOSE OTHER BOYS. How he would deal with them once meeting them, Anubisu had no idea. Frankly, he couldn't bring himself to care much. Surely, they wouldn't trust Naaza. It had only been days after the war and they'd likely think any peaceful appeal he made to them was nothing more than a trap. They'd be foolish to think otherwise. DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME. TAKE TIME TO DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. Then Naaza closed his mind to Anubisu, no doubt setting off to do what Rajura had told him to do. It must have been an order. There was no way that Naaza would willingly put himself in the middle of so many morals without being ordered to.

No matter how hard Anubisu looked, there was nothing to be gained by staying at the scene of the crime. The only clue was a smear of blood where Ryou had lain before being snatched away.

"You'll gain nothing by staying here, little brother."

The wyrm, Lightfoot, stood near Anubisu. It was no longer disguised as the tiger or the wolf's form it had worn so often in the past. It stood as tall as Anubisu in all it's alien-like glory. There were no mortals on the street, but Anubisu couldn't tell if it was the wyrm's presence that had chased them away or if it was mere coincidence.

"Do you know where he is?" Anubisu didn't want to look at Lightfoot. She'd been his dearest companion and to think that had all been a lie hurt almost as much as Ryou's kidnapping.

"If I did, I assure you, I wouldn't be wasting time by talking." The wrym raised a sword in front of it with a tight grip on the hilt. It was an elegant weapon, Anubisu noted distantly. "Those who would insult me by infringing on my territory have forfeit their lives."

"Who took him?"

The wyrm turned and met Anubisu's gaze with it's large, luminescent eyes. It was so utterly inhuman, yet so frighteningly human that Anubisu couldn't decide what to make of it. The scaly skin and insect-like thinness could never be mistaken for human, but the way it spoke and how possessive it was certainly was human. "Can't you tell?" The wyrm stepped closer until it was toe-to-toe with Anubisu, nearly chest to chest. "You've tasted his blood."

"I've tasted many people's blood."

"But he's different, isn't he? The yoroi changes a person, not only emotionally. Physically, you change. Your mind opens, grows. You are able to speak without speaking to others who bear the yoroi."

"Only with my brothers. Ryou's entirely different."

"Why? All of your yoroi was created from the body of the same demon, wasn't it? Though the yoroi have been separated for much time and your comrades are separated from Ryou's by mutual dislike, the yoroi DO belong together. You and Ryou are made closer by the shared blood. Had you allowed him to taste your blood, then the bond would have been stronger, still." The wyrm reached out to Anubisu with it's free hand and touched the part of his face that wasn't covered by his helmet. The claws ran over Anubisu's skin, tracing over the scar on his cheek, then sliding back towards his ear. The wyrm's palm caressed Anubisu's face gently, like one would pet a favored animal. The cool, dry scales were comforting. "Reach out to Ryou. Find the bond you share and use it. You can find his captors."

Why not? There was no harm. Feeling strangely safe with the wyrm - Anubisu supposed that no matter how it looked, it was still the Lightfoot he'd always known - he closed his eyes and searched around his mind. He found the place where Naaza distracted with his hunting of the boys. Naaza's anger at being so close to so many humans filtered though the bond despite the fact that he'd closed his mind. None of them could entirely close themselves off.

Next was Rajura, ever watchful of everything that went on around him. He stood in front of Abraham with Kayura at his side, determined to convince Abraham that Kayura was his mistress and empress of the Youja Kai. He kept watch over Naaza and Anubisu while he spoke with Abraham, but offered no advice only a vague sense of comfort.

There was Kayura still nervous and uncertain in her place. She realized Anubisu was watched her, but said nothing. She wasn't experienced enough in this bond to talk to him and listen to Rajura and Abraham at the same time. That sort of thing came with practice.

Next to Kayura was a wounded place. A scar so deep and raw that Anubisu thought it might never heal. That was the place where Sh'ten had been. The wound no longer bled, but the painful throbbing hadn't yet died away. It would be painful for a long time. 'That selfish brat.' Anubisu thought fondly. He missed the little hemorrhoid.

Anubisu moved away from that unhappiness and found, deep in the darkness of his mind, where even his brothers wouldn't go, other bonds. There was his mother and the scar where his father had once been. There was a scar there, too, though it wasn't as deep as Sh'ten's because there was no yoroi to bind them together and the ache had dulled over time. His mother was, surprisingly, at the hospital on the same errand as Naaza, searching out the missing ronin boys. Then there was Abraham, ever watchful. He was like Rajura in so many ways. Fiercely protective of what he knew was his and now that he'd found a threat to his territory Abraham was up in arms. It wasn't so much that Ryou had been taken, it was that a member of his household had been taken. To Abraham, it was a person insult. He reached out a tentacle like touch and Anubisu felt it touch him like a feather whipping across his face.

MISS YOU, KU. I'LL HELP. YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT PATH. GO DEEPER AND YOU'LL FIND THE LINK YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. MUCH DEEPER.

Anubisu did as Abraham advised and pushed himself deeper into his own mind There! A beacon of warmth, then a tiny flame. It was dim, but it was there. There was no one who could warm Anubisu like that. It was frighteningly dull, though. No wonder he was having trouble finding what had been so clear just a short while ago.

I'M WITH YOU. Anubisu tried to sound reassuring, but it wasn't easy.

WHO ARE YOU?

YOU KNOW ME. ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU'RE FRIGHTENED. Of course the boy was frightened. What a stupid thing to say! PLEASE , DON'T BE AFRAID. TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE. I'LL HELP YOU.

HOW?

I CAN DO MANY THINGS. I CAN HELP YOU. WHERE ARE YOU?

I DON'T KNOW. I CAN'T MOVE. THEY DID SOMETHING TO ME.

THEY WHO?

FUNNY LOOKING PEOPLE. BIG EYES. WHITE SKIN. TALL.

The description was sickeningly familiar. A sense of dread filled Anubisu. FAIR HAIR?

YES.

FAE. It came out like a snarl, though Anubisu did try to follow Naaza's advice and keep himself calm. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. BACKSTABBING, DISHONEST CRETINS! FAE!

ARE YOU STILL THERE?

Had Ryou thought he'd left? Probably. Ryou still didn't know. He'd never know. And if Anubisu let slip his true identity, what reaction would Ryou have? The proud leader of his troops wouldn't deign to be comforted by the enemy, of that Anubisu was certain. HE would push away any offered help and wait for rescue from his own companions. Most likely, he still didn't understand how close the bond was. Did he even know that the others were probably feeling as miserable as he was? The loss of one affected all and if Ryou was where Anubisu thought he was, in Tintagel, then his companions wouldn't be able to reach his mind. It would be nothing but an emptiness where Ryou should have been. Like the emptiness where Sh'ten should have been. ALWAYS. I CAN FEEL YOUR FEAR. TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE.

I CAN'T. I DON'T KNOW. IT'S COLD AND THERE ARE STONE WALLS AND FLOORS. LANTERNS AND TORCHES FOR LIGHT. THE WOMAN JUST LEFT.

WHAT WOMAN?

THEY CALLED HER THE LADY-QUEEN. WHO ARE YOU?

YOU KNOW ME.

I DON'T.

No. He didn't and Anubisu did have to keep reminding himself of that fact, like the simpleton he was. I HAVE FAMILY WHO WILL HELP. DON'T LET YOURSELF FALL AWAY FROM ME. If Ryou were to pull away at this point, with his fear growing by the moment, Anubisu was sure he'd loose him. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to find the weakened link if it were lost for even a second. I WILL HELP. Abraham had promised and Rajura wouldn't have sent everyone out so urgently if he weren't willing to help.

Ryou's distress rose a good deal when there was threat to some treasure he had. Anubisu couldn't see though Ryou's eyes, but he knew the treasure was something so special that Ryou would have died for it. Only when the captor jumped away in shock did Anubsiu hear Ryou's confused thought of, 'Iron?'

IRON! Anubisu felt like laughing. LUCKY BOY! THE BEST PROTECTION ONE CAN HAVE AGAINST THE FAE.

IT'S NOT IRON. IT'S SILVER. SISTER JO TOLD ME SO.

THEN SHE WAS WRONG. FAE HAVE NO TROUBLES WITH SILVER, IT'S ONLY IRON THAT REPULSES THEM. STAY CLOSE TO ME. I DON'T LIKE THIS. But what could he do? Ryou was in Tintagel and there was no way for an outsider to open the way. Only a person from Tintagel could open the doorway and none of them would do that against their monarch's orders.

"Have you found him?" Lightfoot. "You've been quiet a long while."

Anubisu had nearly forgotten that he wasn't alone and that he was still standing out in plain view with his yoroi. Now that he knew Ryou was alive and, relatively, well, discretion was becoming more appealing. "The fae have him. He's got iron with him, but I don't know how much protection that's bought him. He's afraid and says he can't move or speak."

"Glamour, then." Lightfoot said. "What would they want with Ryou of all people? He's never had dealings with them. It couldn't be Rekka, the yoroi don't activate without some tie to Earth."

"They work in the Youja Kai."

"Youja Kai is tied to Earth. It's like…the flip-side of Earth."

"You're saying Ryou's completely alone?"

"No. Even where he is, he has a tie to Earth. He is human and, therefore, he is the connection. The yoroi he wears will be weak and of no help. I doubt his friends can even feel his presence. They may think him dead. Did Abraham teach you nothing?"

"Leave him out of it. I have to find a way to Tintagel."

"There is no way that I know of, but… you look pained."

Anubisu felt pained. There was a burning in his arm. A familiar quick, sharp pain that slid through the underside of his right arm, a blade slicing between the muscle and bone. Anubisu bit back the cry, but he grabbed his armored arm. The pain was bearable, but it wasn't his. "Ryou." He gasped, looking up to meet Lightfoot's increasingly irate face. "They're hurting him!"

Ryou's fear and pain flooded at Anubisu, adding to the pain in his arm. It was Ryou's arm that had been cut. HELP ME! Ryou lashed out with his thoughts, desperate to be answered. THEY THINK I CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING! THEY THINK I'M UNCONSCIOUS! IT HURTS, MAKE IT STOP…PLEASE. The plea was fainter at the end, but Ryou didn't quite faint. The pain throbbed and though Ryou, Anubisu could smell the metallic blood. Ryou, naturally, was horrified to smell his own blood. MY LEG. THEY WANT TO CUT MY LEG. ARGUING. THEY'LL STUDY, WANT TO TAKE ME APART.

There was pain in Anubisu's leg so great that he fell and would have hit the ground had Lightfoot not caught him and held him up. It shot though his body, a dagger ripping up his spine to stab at his brain, and it was only a phantom pain. Only Ryou could feel the full brunt of the blades carving him up like a Christmas goose. Ryou screamed mentally, so loudly and so pitifully that Anubisu put his hands to his ears though he knew, logically, that it would do no good. Blocking his ears wouldn't stop Ryou from screaming or Anubisu from hearing.

Dimly, Anubisu was aware that his brothers and Kayura had heard the scream echoing in his mind and felt that he, too, was in pain. Rajura was incensed and Naaza infuriated. Strangely, Kayura was the first one to reach out to him to try and soothe away the pain. Anubisu's mother worried at him, her mind flitting against his like butterfly wings. Abraham, still with Rajura and Kayura, added his irate scream to Ryou's.

WAR THEY WANT, WAR THEY SHALL HAVE! He was seeing red and called loudly to all of those who shared his blood, all the vampires he'd created and who served him. They would come, Anubisu knew. TAKE WHAT IS MINE! HURT WHAT IS MINE! THE FAE WILL BE DESTROYED IF I MUST RAZE TINTAGEL TO DUST!

That was the last Anubisu heard for Ryou's pain was overriding everything. His vision blurred with tears and the only real thing was Lightfoot's arm around him, holding him up. Anything! He'd have given anything if only to stop the pain!

Then there was darkness. A moment of nothingness and ease when he knew Ryou was near, could almost feel him. There was no pain, for just a moment, and that in itself made Anubisu feel lightheaded. Ryou's presence brushed by, like a warm summer breeze, then was gone.

The pain returned, but it was different. More real.

Anubisu opened his eyes and found himself staring up at the hated faces of three fae men, one of them holding a bloody blade. He wanted to scream, to curse them. Not only for Ryou, but for the fact that they were fae and that all vampires hated fae and it was a trait he shared from his mother's side of the family.

"There you are. I told you we hadn't killed him. He's fine. Let's start in on the other leg."

It wasn't hard to figure out. He'd changed places with Ryou, somehow. Which mean that Ryou was safe with Lightfoot and that gave Anubisu reason to hope.

RYOU! CLOSE THE LINK!

WHAT'S HAPPENING? Ryou was confused and a little worried about finding himself in the arms of the fearsome wyrm. WHERE ARE YOU?

TELL RAJURA EVERYTHING. HE'S A FRIEND.

NOT OF MINE.

DO IT! Then Anubisu did something he didn't believe Ryou could do. He closed the link between them, severing it so quickly that he was stunned by the solitude. Bad enough that he couldn't feel Ryou any longer, but he was also cut off from his brothers. Alone. Completely and utterly alone. He felt like his heart would fail him, it was beating too quickly. If this was his fate, to be dissected alive by these butchers, then far better he just die. To die alone, though…that took more courage than Anubisu had. He tried his best to glare up at the men.

'Do your worst. I'll live to see you begging for your lives!'

To be continued… 


	11. Sister Jo

Chapter 11: Sister Jo

Rajura-

When it happened, Rajura lost all his senses for a moment. He felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach and bludgeoned over the head. He fell to his knees and found himself unable to breathe. He felt frozen, but too hot. His lips were numb and his hair tingled. Everything just felt wrong. It was an end-of-the-world sort of wrong. So unbalanced, so insanely wrong that Rajura was sure, when he hit his knees that he thought he would shatter. The void where Anubisu had been consumed him. Like having his insides suddenly disappeared, the shock near overwhelmed him.

The shock did overwhelm Kayura and she fainted dead away.

ANUBISU?

His voice just echoed around inside his head, tickling against Naaza like a butterfly. WHERE IS HE! Naaza choked out the words. He was still at the hospital, but in no better shape than Rajura. WE CAN'T LOSE HIM! NOT AFTER SH'TEN. NOT SO SOON… He was leaning heavily against a wall and having trouble focusing. The colors around him were swirled in surreal patterns until slowly reorganizing themselves into the shapes of the hospital's hall.

GET HOLD OF YOURSELF! Rajura snapped, though he still couldn't quite manage to get to his own feet. It was dangerous and he found to get control of himself. Breath, Rajura told himself. Just breathe. HE'S NOT DEAD. Indeed, there was no wound as there had been at Sh'ten's death. That wound was still raw and throbbing, bleeding around the edges. But where Anubisu had been, there was nothing but emptiness. FIND THOSE BOYS, WE'LL NEED THEM.

THEM? Naaza sounded disgusted at the thought of them. AT A TIME LIKE THIS? WHY CARE ABOUT…

BECAUSE WE'LL NEED THEM. GO, NOW.

Naaza wanted to argue, but he wasn't feeling well enough and just stumbled down the hallways again, but not before he pushed Rajura away. SEE TO YOURSELF, OLD MAN. YOU'RE NOT IN FRIENDLY TERRITORY.

Oh. Yes. Abraham.

If he'd noticed the distress of Rajura and Kayura, Abraham didn't show it. Still sitting in the armchair that looked much to big for him, Abraham gripped the armrests and was muttering under his breath. "I have you here, Rajura. You've lost him, but I can still touch Kuj's mind. He's in contact with Ryou. They've bonded very closely, much more closely than is safe. He didn't intend it. My poor little Kuj…no." He blinked, as if disoriented. "He's gone too far. To deep...too deep…"

Deep? Rajura pushed himself up so he was kneeling on only one kneed and put his hand under Kayura's neck. Naaza was right. Abraham was very dangerous at the moment. From Anubisu's memories, there was no doubt that he'd feared Abraham even though the elder vampire had showered him with favor in the past. Rajura forced himself to calm and repeated what he'd told Naaza - Anubisu was not dead.

Abraham was on his feet at once, his little hands were fists at his sides and his eyes shining just a little too brightly. "Kuj!" He screamed, his little boy's voice turning harsh and shrill with his anger. He stomped his foot, grabbed the nearest thing at hand, a floor lamp, and flung it across the room where it crashed against a wall and broke into pieces. "How? How!" It turned into a howl, the screamed question. The next thing that came to his hand was the chair he'd been sitting in, which Abraham tossed through the living room's big window.

The glass shattered and Rajura had to throw himself over Kayura's still body to protect her. Part of him wanted to curse Abraham, but he couldn't seem to catch his breath. Stars danced in front of his eyes and he felt sick to his stomach. 'Not dead. He isn't. He wasn't in any danger. He was with the wyrm and…the wyrm. He's still with the wrym. He must be.' But…he wasn't. There wasn't even the faintest hint of Anubisu.

"He's gone." Rajura finally found his voice. He sounded tired, even to himself. "He's just…gone." bent to pick up Kayura, but stopped when he found the furious little vampire standing over him, his little foot suddenly on Kayura's throat.

Threat - instinct told him. Threat to family.

"I can only see what Kuj sees." Abraham told Rajura. "I can only know what he knows and right now all he knows is that he's hurt and has managed to switch places with Ryou. Don't you understand? That's never happened before! It shouldn't happen, it can't! But," He paused and, for just a second, looking frightened. "But it HAS happened. He might never be restored to his own beautiful body. The shame of that is too much to think about. Worst of all, more dire than his mind switch with Ryou - that I could deal with - the fae have him. Why? Why would they hunt Ryou?"

"What makes you think I have any answers for you?" Rajura, down on one knees with his hand frozen in the act of lifting Kayura's arm, raised his face to look up at Abraham. Not for the first time, he found himself resenting the fact that a child - no matter how old Abraham was in reality - had such a sever control over his family. "Take your foot away."

"Tell me what's going on?" Abraham surged down and seized Rajura's helmet, holding him by the antler-like horns and shaking him hard enough that Rajura thought he might vomit. "What do you know about this?"

There was a moment when Rajura hesitated. He would not be seen as weak for anything. His reputation was his most valuable asset and he couldn't afford to have someone as hatefully powerful as Abraham to see him as vulnerable to anything, even threats to his own family. "Get your foot off my sister's throat or you'll never hear from Kujurrou again. I'll bury his memories so deep this time, you'll never uncover them!"

Abraham didn't move for a moment, but then stepped back and allowed Rajura to pick up Kayura. He wasn't happy about it. "Cruel." Abraham snarled. "Sh'ten was nothing compared to you! You'd keep my beloved grandchild from me just for that," He waved his hand at Kayura. "It's…it's just not fair."

Rajura suppressed a hysterical laugh. If life were fair, he'd have lived a long, happy life and died of old age a thousand years ago in Scandinavia. What was fair about life? Destiny? It was all cruel, one long path of pain until the bitter end. For Rajura and his loved ones, the path just went on longer for them than it did for most people.

"Well?" Abraham crossed his arms and aimed a black glare at Rajura. "Where is he? Tintagel, I presume. Why? Why did they take him?"

"I have no idea," It wasn't entirely a lie. The fae had taken Ryou because they found some connection between Ryou and Rajura, that was obvious enough. "But I can tell you he's…separated from us." And there was only one place that Rajura could think of that had any connection to what had been going on lately.

"Tintagel." Abraham let the word out slowly, like it was vile for him to say. "My Miko said there was a report of a fae at the hospital where the boys are being kept. I didn't take it seriously. A mistake. Stupid, hair-brained mistake." Abraham got that familiar distracted look of one looking into themselves, an expression Rajura was used to seeing on the faces of his brothers when they would speak mentally to each other. "Damned fae have him! They've hurt him!" Abraham burst out, nearly screaming in ire. "War they want, war they shall have! Take what is mine! Hurt what is mine! The fae will be destroyed if I must raze Tintagel to dust!"

He wanted nothing better than to leave Abraham to his ravings. There was a way to get into Tintagel, but first he had to see that Kayura and Naaza were safe. 'I can't leave them in the Youja Kai like this. They'll be easy prey for any demon that happens along. Kayura's completely helpless unless she wakes up and I don't know how long this shock will last. She's had the bond for a shorter time than even those trooper boys. She just can't handle it.' Of course, Rajura blamed himself. If he'd been more sensible and started her training as soon as possible, she might have been able to stand the loss a little better. 'Naaza isn't taking it well, either. He hasn't even recovered from Sh'ten's loss. Even he might not be able to defend himself like he is let alone properly defend Kayura.'

BRING HER TO ME. Naaza said, faintly. I'M NOT UP TO A FULL BLOWN BATTLE, BUT I CAN'T PROTECT ONE CHILD. I'LL EVEN STAY IN THE NINGEN SEKAI.

It was quite the sacrifice, coming from Naaza. STAY AT THE HOSPITAL. YOU'LL NEED TO LOOK AFTER THOSE BOYS, TOO. I HAVE A FEELING WE MAY NEED THEM TO GET THIS MESS SORTED OUT. He didn't add that he felt some bizarre twinges of sympathy for the children. True, they'd never suffered the death of one of their own, but having Ryou taken from them so suddenly had probably been more painful for them than it had been for Rajura to lose touch with Anubisu. The war was over, so there was no reason to continue being enemies. Allies were more valuable, anyway.

AND YOU, 'JURA? WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING?

YOU'VE BEEN LISTENING IN, HAVEN'T YOU? ABRAHAM'S QUITE RIGHT. I DO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND I KNOW HOW TO GET TO TINTAGEL.

ALONE?

I DOUBT IT. ABRAHAM'S READY TO CALL UP HIS FULL FORCE AND THERE'S ANOTHER WHO WILL HELP.

Just as Rajura had said that, who should appear in the living room but the Wyrm, bearing in its arms the limp from of Anubisu and holding tightly to an ornate sword Rajura that looked familiar. He didn't have time to examine the sword because the Wyrm fairly threw Anubisu at him. "They've hurt him." The Wyrms were not an undefeatable race, but, like Abraham and the fae, it was terrible in its anger. "You can draw them out."

"And you," Rajura replied as he shifted Anubisu's body to settle him over one shoulder. "You know how to open the way, don't you? I've heard tales of the Wyrms and you should have more than enough power."

"Only for myself." The Wyrm was proud when he spoke. "My power extends only to myself for such things. There is no need for anything else, though." He looked at Abraham in what might have been a smirk. "I will need no assistance in dealing with the fae."

What reaction should they have expected? Abraham glowered. "I'll face down the fae with or without your allegiance. Kujurrou is mine to protect."

"Then you can do your protecting from here while I bring him back?"

Rajura, a little surprised to see them so antagonistic, took the opportunity to transport himself, Anubisu's body, and Kayura away. No matter what was about to happen, whether it was the Wyrm opening a doorway to Tintagel or Abraham attacking the Wyrm, Rajura didn't want to be in the way.

He followed the last connection he had to Naaza. The firs thing he noticed was the awful smell of antiseptics.

Magic Bus Hospital Naaza-

He stood in the doorway and watched the old man. He was a venerable man, distinguished and proud as he sat by the bedside of Korin. He was too pretty to be a warrior, Naaza thought. The boy didn't look nearly so threatening as he had in battle, wearing Korin.

Date Seiji, the nameplate on the door had read.

Naaza remembered the Date family. He'd met them once. Not that he'd been all that impressed with them at the time. They were humans and , like all humans, despised. He had no hair on his face, but long white hair and small round glasses. His hands were folded on his lap and, for all the world, he looked as if he were sleeping. 'Beast.' Naaza stared at the old man for a long moment, angry beyond sense that a human was tending to Korin when it was perfectly clear that no human could take care of him. He needed his own kind to protect him. What good was a human against a youja or fae? What good would this old man be if Naaza decided he wanted to disregard Rajura's orders and just kill the boy on the spot?

"Come in or go out, young man." The old man raised his eyes and met Naaza's. He showed no surprise that he might have felt at Naaza's hair or his unnatural eyes. Surely, Naaza thought, he can't see well. If he could see the scales, he wouldn't be so calm. "You'll be a friend of my grandson's?" He made it a question. "He'll be glad for the visit. The others aren't able to come yet. They'll be here soon, I expect."

With a careful step, Naaza entered the room. The old man wasn't threatening at all. "Friend is a debatable word." There were all manner of things set up in the room that worried him. Tubes and wires all connected to Korin…rather, Seiji. There were tubes fed up into his nose and a machine that made funny noises at the side of the bed. More machines that made pictures - a flat panel of black with a single line that kept a steady rhythm of up and down in sharp little points. At odds with the ugly technology were a handful of fresh flowers in a vase on a table at the end of the bed. "I have come to see that he lives."

The old man nodded, sagely. "Then, sit." He gestured to a chair on the opposite side of the bed.

There was a moment of silence and Naaza was grateful for it. There was too much to think about without adding to it the prattling of an inane human. Kayura was unconscious and unable to help in anything. If she was awake, she might have been able to do a more gentle healing than Naaza was capable of. As it was, Naaza couldn't decide if he should start the healing while the old man was in the room or wait for him to leave.

'I suppose I could just kill him.' It wouldn't be the first human death on his hands. 'But from the looks of things, I'm going to have to live with Seiji being around for quite some time and there is a chance that he might be fond of this grandfather of his.'

Well, he'd stop that nonsense as soon as it started. When this grandfather learned how vastly different his grandson was, he'd show Seiji what vile things humans were. He'd learn, as Naaza did, that humans were nothing but vicious, shallow, cowardly things. To call them animals would be insulting to animals. 'He'll learn…just like I did…'

Flashback-

He didn't know how it had happened..

"A monster! A demon!"

Inder sat on his knees at the center of the circle the villagers made around him. He'd known them forever. The old woman who helped birth him was glaring, holding her granddaughter close to her. The granddaughter, one of Inder's playmates, was frightened and wouldn't look at Inder. The three men who always brought back the best catches of fish were muttering amongst themselves. It went on and on, the hushed voices and open staring.

"He's not a monster!" Inder felt his mother's arm wrap around him. She was crying almost to the point that she couldn't speak. "He's our son, how can you say such things!"

"Ours? He's yours! How do I know what things you've lain with, slut!"

Things? Inder frowned and put his hands up to touch his mother's face. What kind of things was father talking about?

"How dare you say that?" Inder's mother cried out. "His blood is as much yours as it is mine."

"Do I have scales!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He moved forward so quickly that Inder barely had time to think before the hand struck him across the face, sending him reeling.

The world spun and he hit the ground with a resounding thud that echoed through his head. The pain was terrible, but when he opened his eyes there was no one to help him up. His mother and father were both on their feet yelling at each other. The people surrounding them were getting more and more anxious, the hushed whispers getting louder and louder. Everyone was to be staring.

"That thing is a demon, no blood of mine!"

"Don't you blame him on me!"

Yelling.

Whispers.

Staring.

There was blood running into Inder's eyes. He raised a hand to wipe away the blood and as he did, he saw the back of his hand. It was what everyone was gathered about, what his parents were arguing about. A tiny, faint green scale on the back of his hand. Such a little thing to cause so much fuss. The problem was that it hadn't been there the day before. Something had changed in the night, something so terrible that it made everyone angry. It made his mother cry and not look at him. It made his father look at him with such black hate that it hurt.

"He's not mine!"

"He is!"

A stone was thrown and hit Inder on the back.

End Flashback-

"Young man, are you feeling alright?"

Naaza blinked slowly at the old man. "I am well. Be concerned with your grandson, instead." The old man was nothing but human. He was just like the old men who had lived in Naaza's village, so long ago when he'd lived in the deep jungles of India, his home until the villagers had driven him out.

"I can be concerned with more than one at a time. But, if you wish." He sat back in his chair and put his hands back on his lap, just as he'd been when Naaza had arrived. "It's not my place to interfere…"

"No. It isn't." Naaza interrupted. Anything to make the old man stop talking. Anything to get out of this place and to be able to stop looking at this filthy human. He stood abruptly and leveled his strongest glare at the old man. "You should leave now." He had better, more important things to do than to wait while an old man sat and stared. He had to help find Anubisu and, almost as important, he had to save Korin…Seiji. He had to save Seiji. 'I'd have killed him eagerly a week ago. I'd have killed him and gloried about it.'

"I will no go where until I know my grandson is well." He was stubborn., but didn't get angry.

"I tell you, you must leave. I will save your grandson's life, but you will not enjoy what I do to him, nor will he enjoy knowing that you witnessed it." Naaza couldn't have hoped to be more civil? Especially since he wanted nothing better than to rip off the old man's arms and toss them out the window.

Finally, the old man turned away, but he didn't leave the room as Naaza had hoped. Instead, he went back to his seat by Seiji's bed and took his grandson's limp hand. "You are one of THEM, aren't you?"

"Them who?"

The old man's eyes were very clear, Naaza thought. His body was frail, but his mind was as sound as any. "I'm old, child, but not so old that I've begun to forget all that I've learned. I know the legends my grandson's become tied to. I know the legend of the nine yoroi. Nine, not five. Logic tells me that you have one of the nine."

"Logic has very little to do with me and what, precisely, makes you think I am one of the nine?"

"Must you ask?"

Green hair. Scales. Fangs. Inhuman eyes. Did all those things scream monster or warrior? Monster. "I think I must. Why do you think me to be connected with some legendary yoroi?"

When he smiled, the old man looked even sadder than he had before. "Because my grandson has very few friends and I know every one of them. He has had no visitors since the accident, but those that I know, nor has he had any phone calls or messages. I find it hard to believe that a perfect stranger would just appear out of nowhere at a time like this."

"Perhaps he simply hasn't told you about me."

"That's unlikely. We're a very close family. Your name, young man?"

"My affair, old man." He couldn't accept the apparent friendliness the old man presented to him. He couldn't. "Stay if you must, but don't interfere. Any distraction could end your precious grandson's life."

"Of course." He didn't let go of Seiji's hand. "Do what you have to do."

The problem was that Naaza really didn't know what he had to do. He hadn't explored the problem yet and, in truth, all the mechanical things attached to Seiji were a bit intimidating. He worried that if he disturbed them, Seiji would be in even more dire straits. There was no choice. It was either attempt to heal or leave him laying in bed, kept alive by these untrustworthy things. The second option felt far too much like abandoning a comrade and though they'd never been friendly and likely never would be friends, Naaza did respect Seiji as a warrior and value him as an opponent. He could not simply walk out the door and forget about him.

So Naaza did his best to ignore the grandfather and started to examine Seiji. He felt Seiji's face and throat, then his hands and wrists. The most obvious physical injury was to Seiji's head, but even that didn't look too terrible. Just a large bruise and cut that had been stitched closed. 'At least that,' Naaza reflected as he ran a finger across the stitches, 'was done with some skill. Even if it is quite unnecessary.' He turned his finger on edge and used his claw-like fingernails to slice through the stitches then pulled them out one-by-one.

There was tension in the room, and not all of it from Seiji's grandfather. It wasn't his ability to heal Seiji that had Naaza worried. There was no doubt about that. While he couldn't do so pleasant a job, Korin was able to heal and make the patient feel pleasure at the same time, he could thoroughly heal nearly any injury. It was the pace that was upsetting.

There was too much going on for Naaza's comfort. Too much, too fast. Snakes were lethargic creatures by nature, preferring to rest in the warm sun than run around in a fervor and all this excitement - for lack of a better word - was making Naaza wish he'd never gotten out of bed.

The grandfather took instructions very seriously and kept quiet even when Naaza started rubbing the palms of his hands together, something he knew made many people nervous. Well…more to the point, it was the greenish slime that made people nervous. As Naaza massaged his hands the friction stimulated glands which produced the healing substance. From his own body this powerful medicine was produced, just as he could produce his own poison.

His fangs, like the fangs of a viper, could be used like syringes to inject the substance directly into the patient or victim's body. However, looking down at the pale, drawn face of the half-dead warrior, Naaza decided that he wasn't really THAT fond of Seiji. Maybe in the future, that might change, but at the moment Naaza concluded that putting his hands on Seiji without trying to kill him was the best Seiji was going to get.

"These have to go." Naaza began pulling the tubes and wires and all the other little 'things' out of Seiji. There were tubes up his nose and one that went entirely down his throat. He pulled a needle attached to yet another tube out of Seiji's arm and, when the steady beeping finally got too much for him to bear, Naaza kicked the blasted machine at the side of Seiji's bed. "Too much…"

When he didn't finish his sentence, the old man asked, as quietly as he could, "Too much what?"

"Everything. Too much everything. Now be silent and let me work." Someone would come soon to check on Seiji, Naaza was fairly certain of that. Physicians did that still, didn't they? That meant he had only limited time to work unless he were to remove Seiji from the hospital and he wasn't entirely certain that was safe. In fact, he'd have felt much better if Seiji hadn't been moved at all, but he supposed there had been no help for it.

As soon as all the unnecessary equipment was removed from Seiji, Naaza went to the door of the hospital room and closed it. "No time for interruptions." He said, though mostly to himself, before he spit on the door handle and the saliva immediately began to sizzle like butter on a frying pan. It wasn't acid, but venom strong enough that it might as well have been venom. Within seconds, the door handle was completely melted.

"One of the nine." The old man said, sounding somewhat distant.

"I thought I told you to be silent."

"Your manners need refining."

Naaza considered killing the old man then, he seriously did. Really. How attached could Seiji be to him? 'Very. I loved my grandfather till the end.' He squashed the mutinous though and the accompanying memories as quickly as he could. So Naaza said nothing, for the fear of igniting his slow burning temper, and pulled the blankets down around Seiji's chest.

There was some small damage, but the worst was the head. So Naaza would start there. Everything else could be allowed to heal on its own. With his hands now coated with the thick slime, Naaza lay his hands on Seiji's skull, pushing down all that glorious golden hair.

It was going well until Seiji reacted to the treatment. His body arched in protest, stiffening with fine trembling ripping along his muscles. His eye flicked erratically and his mouth fell open as if he would scream, though he made no sound.

The grandfather stood, clenching his hands on the arms of his chair. He, too, opened his mouth but didn't say a word. He was wise, though Naaza didn't pay him much attention. He had to make sure the treatment affected the correct areas and left the healthy parts of Seiji alone.

Flowing.

Seeping.

He felt himself falling though Seiji, like water through a pipe. The hurts were easily found and even more easily healed. It didn't take long, but when he did finish, Naaza found several more people with him.

"Didn't expect you here." Suiko said, cautiously. Three of the Troopers stood in the room, none of them looking entirely happy. "Don't suppose you have any idea what's going on?"

The door Naaza had locked was nearly off its hinges and he cursed himself for having let them come upon him unawares. The noise they must have made breaking down the door should have drawn him from the trance, but how could he have known that it wouldn't? He'd never tried to heal any but his brothers and then always with the others to guard his back if they were in hostile territory.

Naaza drew his dry hands away from Seiji's skull, dry as all the slime had been absorbed into Seiji's injuries. "Fae and vampires and missing memories. Does that sound about right?" He forced a smile just for the sake of seeing the anger flash across the boy's face. It seemed that he'd taken up the leadership. "I was sent, child. You've no cause to be looking at me like that."

"I don't trust you."

"Wise." He looked beyond Suiko and recognized Tenku and Kongo. It seemed odd to see them out of the yoroi, but not too odd. Their faces were the same. "I'm just here to help."

As if justifying Naaza's words, Seiji moaned and woke up. "Ryou?" He looked groggily around and raised a shaky hand to rub at his eyes. "Touma? Your mother…?"

"Don't worry about that." Touma stepped around Naaza, putting himself between the Ma-Sho and his friend. "How are you feeling?" He didn't look up at Naaza as he spoke. No doubt that was because the other two, Suiko and Kongo, were watching him, guardedly. Touma put his hand to Seiji's face and patted him.

"Fine. I think. Grandfather? What are you doing here?" He must not have guessed that he was in a hospital up until that point because he looked around in confusion and started at the sight of Naaza standing next to his bed. "Don't cry, grandfather. I'm alright. I thought I was…lost."

"You were." Naaza told him. "Well, nearly lost. Luckily for you, I was forced to save your skinny butt."

"Save…what IS going on?" He looked beyond Touma and held out his hand to Kongo. "Ryou's gone? Oh, your poor throat. Are you alright?"

When Kongo spoke, his voice was low and gravely, hurting him just to speak. He raised a hand to his bandaged throat and held it. "We don't know where he is." It didn't really surprise Naaza to see Kongo go to Seiji and take his hand. Why shouldn't they be as close as the Ma-Sho were to each other? "I'm okay. Just tired and in need of a little luvin'."

Seiji wasted no time and put a hand on Kongo's throat. There was a moment's pause until Seiji opened his eyes. "Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks." With his voice sounding as strong as ever and no look of pain at all on his face, Kongo began to unwrap the bandaged from around his throat. There were even any scars left. "Are you sure you should have done that? Are you really better? You weren't looking so hot just a little bit ago, but we have to go…" He paused, looking uncertainly at Naaza.

"Oh, don't mind me. We aren't enemies, anymore." Naaza held up his hands, as if to show he was harmless. If they were fooled by that, then they really were fools. "Pretend I'm not here."

"Unlikely." Suiko hadn't moved from his spot by the door, nor had he taken his eyes off Naaza.

Naaza smirked, rather enjoying the confrontation. "Your Ryou is missing. My Anubisu is missing. Something very odd is going on and I think you like it no better than I. A truce, at least, is in order."

"Why?" Suiko demanded.

"Because Rajura seems to believe that the same people who took your Ryou took my Anubisu. Because they're linked, though you don't know it. You once did." Wasn't that one of the memories Rajura had restored? Yes. Naaza remembered. It was Seiji who'd forced Anubisu away from Ryou when they'd met one evening and Kongo who'd stood there, watching. They'd also both seen Rajura when he'd arrived, chastising Anubisu for his carelessness. "Those memories are gone. They won't come back." He debated on whether or not to tell them the entire truth. They'd know as soon as Ryou found out and, knowing cruel fate, Ryou would find out. "Anubisu, you see, is a dhampire."

"Half-vampire," Suiko said, sounding not as astonished as Naaza had thought he would. "and half-human. More powerful than both vampires and humans with fewer weaknesses."

"Not many know the word." Naaza didn't know why the boy would know, but he was partly grateful. It saved a lot of explanations. "Anubisu and Ryou had met before the war. They were fond of each other. Anubisu was, at any rate. I can't say how Ryou felt about the whole thing. He didn't seem to object."

Seiji was, by that time, sitting up and rubbing his sore muscles. "Why should we believe you?"

"I haven't a care whether you believe me or not. It's Ryou who's important and to ensure that he survives, spirit and body, we had to save you. Rajura made the bargain around him, you see."

"Bargain…?" Suiko demanded, outraged.

"Silence!" Naaza held up a hand as he felt Rajura's voice in his mind.

I'M COMING TO YOU. KAYURA'S UNCONSCIOUS AND I HAVE ANUBISU'S BODY.

BODY? HE ISN'T DEAD.

NO. BUT…

BUT HE'S NOT 'ANUBISU', IS HE? JUST BRING HIM. THE TROOPER BOYS ALL APPEAR TO BE SAFE AND RELATIVELY HEALTHY.

Rajura had never been a believer in procrastination. He appeared at just that moment, behind Seiji's grandfather. Kneeling on the floor with one hand on Kayura's shoulder and the other on Anubisu's chest, he looked up with a terrible expression. "Protect them." His voice was a low rumble of thunder, not at all like his usual softness. Then he turned his head and was gone.

"Damn him!" Naaza shouted. Arrogant, insufferable Rajura! Why did he always have to be like that? Just like Sh'ten, he thought he had to take all the weight upon his own head. He rushed to the bodies of Anubisu and Kayura. Kayura woke with a little gasp when Naaza took her hand and looked around frantically.

"Fae! They took him!" She looked into Naaza's eyes, pleading with him to understand. "That's not Anubisu!"

"I know," He told her, keeping his voice soft when he wanted to yell. "Calm down. We'll get him back."

Of course he couldn't expect the Troopers to stay out of it for long. It was Kongo, still holding onto Seiji's hand, who spoke. Xiu? Hadn't Anubisu heard him being called Xiu, at one point? Yes. Xiu said, "These fae took Ryou?"

"And our Anubisu." Naaza nodded. "So," He looked at them and their unhappy faces. "Anyone feel up to a war?"

Tintagel-  
Anubisu-

Alone.

And he'd never been more grateful for the isolation. Anubisu was still strapped to the table he'd woken on, when he had found himself in Ryou's body. The darkness was broken by torch light, but nothing disturbed the silence. Good. That was good.

He'd been gutted. Like a fish, they'd sliced opened his, Ryou's, chest. He'd held back the screams as long as he could, but Ryou's body was delicate and each pain tore through Anubisu's mind. In the end, he hadn't been able to stop screaming until his tormentors had grown tired of the noise and stopped, giving themselves time for lunch.

While they sat across the dark room Anubisu couldn't help the morbid fascination that led him to lift his head to look down at himself. Nightmarish. They'd split his chest open and broken Ryou's ribs to get a clear look at the inner workings of the human body. Strangely, there wasn't a lot of blood. He could see, in painful clarity, Ryou's lungs inflating and deflating with every breath. He could see Ryou's steadily beating heart and even part of the pink intestines. The broken ribs were so cleanly cut, they looked like the sharpest sword had slashed them.

'Too much to think about.' He lay his head down and contented himself with staring at the ceiling. 'At least Ryou can't feel any of this.' But was that really how it should end? Anubisu didn't want to die and he knew that if he stayed in Ryou's body, that's just what would happen. He couldn't think of any way to escape. In his own body, he would have been able to break his bonds, but Ryou, though stronger than he had been when he'd first met Anubisu, was still too weak to even stretch at the metal holding him down. 'Darkness enough for a fledgling vampire, but me with no connection to Yami. I could use this, if I could just reach Yami.'

There was fire, too. Plenty of fire, Anubisu could see the flames even from where he lay. At least ten torches set around the dungeon for light. 'Torch…fire.' It was an interesting possibility. Anubisu reached into himself searching around for Yami, but found nothing. Not even a hint of what had been with him for centuries. The parts of his mind that had once been inhabited by his brothers were gray and deserted, leaving the only source of warmth to be the link he shared with Ryou. At least that was stable and seemed unchanged, even if it wasn't as strong as Anubisu would have wished it. Not nearly strong enough to speak to Ryou, but strong enough to tell him Ryou was alive.

Content with that much, Anubisu concentrated on trying to get his body to relax. 'Not mine. Ryou's body. I'm inside him.' It was almost enough to make him laugh. 'No EXACTLY how I wanted to get into Ryou.' What a filthy thought. Sh'ten would have been proud. 'If I get my own body back, I won't feel a thing, it'll be Ryou who will feel it. He'll feel the pain and have to suffer the after affects. I'll ask Naaza to help him if Seiji can't.' But if they could switch back, Anubisu had no idea how to do it. He wasn't even exactly sure how they'd done it in the first place.

The worst part of the whole situation wasn't the pain - Anubisu knew he could deal with pain - it was how weak he felt. Ryou's body was so much smaller than his own. He felt like a child. Not that the pain was anything to scoff at. It was nearly unbearable. Bad enough that he'd almost passed out. He would have, if the damned fae hadn't kept his awake.

"It seems just a tad cruel." One said to the other. "Like tearing the wings off a fly just to watch it squirm around."

The senior of the two, Anubisu had heard the arrogant, commanding tone only in people who knew they were in charge - like Rajura, scoffed at the others worry. "Really. Cruel? That's an unnecessary concern. We're scientists, remember? We have only one duty in this experiment. To find out what makes human bodies function and what makes them stop functioning." They were a short distance away from Anubisu, sitting at a small table while eating. They looked as calm and relaxed as if they were having any ordinary lunch. "We just need to study the reactions and collect the data. What it feels or thinks is none of our concern."

Anubisu's temper flared. Experiment? Study? If he could just move he'd kill them both and drag their corpses before the creature that had started this whole mess - the woman Ryou had been so frightened of. Fae! He'd teach them about pain, if that was what they wanted. Anubisu managed to work up enough anger to pull his head up, too look around, but the first thing he saw was the two 'doctors' standing up with an exclamation of surprise.

A fae woman stepped into sight, but not the same one Anubisu had seen through Ryou's mind. She was shorter but no less lovely. Other than that, Anubisu couldn't tell the difference between them. Fae all looked alike to him: fair and pale.

"What are you doing here?" It was the younger of the two males who'd spoken, frowning at her, but managing not to sound overtly rude.

"I go where I please." She didn't stop walking and strode right passed them both, barely glancing at them. "I have come to see the human. They are so rare."

"This is restricted…"

The female turned on the two males and gave them a look that made them both stop. "Do you dare to tell me what I may or may not do?"

"Of course not," The elder of the males answered, carefully. "But this is a special project of the Lady-Queen's."

She just raised an eyebrow. "Is that the reason you…men…give for spouting off orders to a lady?"

Anubisu tried to relax himself. How interesting. He hadn't known that the fae were a matriarchal society. In fact, he was certain that, long ago, he'd heard Abraham talking about the king of the fae. No matter. Nothing mattered but getting Ryou's body out of this nightmare and then get their minds back where they belonged. As adorable as Ryou's body was, Anubisu didn't want to live in it.

The males seemed at a loss and merely bowed. "No, my lady. We meant no disrespect, only to serve the Lady-Queen."

"Then do so by staying silent or leaving. I haven't all day."

They looked at each other, then turned and hurried away. Undoubtedly, they were rushing to whisper in the ear of their Lady-Queen about this unpleasant visitor.

"Look what they've done to you?" She was leaning over Anubisu and her hard face softened to such a great degree that she looked like an entirely different person. Her eyes traveled up and down Ryou's body, but her expression made Anubisu worry all the more. "Poor dear…"

"Who…" His voice choked. How odd to hear Ryou's voice.

"No, no." The female put a hand to Anubisu's face and patted it, like someone trying to calm a favored pet. "You mustn't strain yourself, my dear. Just rest as best as you can. I'll do everything I'm able to do. I swear it. Can you understand? Ryou?"

In this Hell who would call Ryou's name so sweetly? Who was she?  
She must have seen the confusion in his eyes because she looked as if she would cry. "You don't remember me. But I was different then. So different. I've changed everything. See?" With that word, she shifted and blurred in front of Anubisu's eyes. Instead of the obviously fae female, she looked like a very human young woman dressed as a Catholic nun. She smiled and it was a very real smile full of love and joy at seeing him. Well…at seeing Ryou. "It's me, Ryou. You must remember now. I was always nagging you to get your homework finished. Such a stubborn boy you were, too."

Anubisu had no clue as to whom the woman was. He'd seen many of Ryou's memories and had caught glimpses of this woman in soft-edged memories, her face and voice cushioned on pillows of affection in Ryou's mind.

Sister Jo.

"I…" He tried to speak again, but what they'd done to him had damaged his throat. "I know you."

Her hand, patting his face, stopped and she pulled away with a little frown. "You are NOT Ryou."

Anubisu managed a weak smile. "Really?"

Ningen Sekai-  
Abraham-

Cowardly Rajura wasted no time. He vanished from sight almost as soon as Anubisu had been laid in his arms. Only…it wasn't Anubius. Trapped in the body that the Wyrm had delivered was Ryou…somewhere. Both Abraham and the Wyrm watched Rajura disappear with both the little empress and Ryou in Anubisu's body without trying to stop him. Really, why should they? Rajura was a child compared to both of them and what concept did he have of true war? Not one-on-one style that he was used to fighting, but thousands against thousands. Pitting whole nations, whole worlds against one another. That was precisely was Abraham had planned.

Closer. They were drawing closer.

"They'll be safe in the Youja Kai than here." The Wyrm said, taking his attention away from where the three had been huddled together on the floor. He turned his cold eyes to Abraham and raised the mighty sword before him, staring into the ruby eyes of the tiny dragon on the hilt. "Shall we begin? Your people are our main weapon."

"And your people?" Why should he have asked? Abraham knew the legends well enough to know what the answer would be.

"My people are not bound by blood as yours are, nor are they normally influenced by something as fleeing as affection. They have their own concerns. One minor battle such will not stir them."

No time to waste on what might have been, but Abraham couldn't help but think of what the outcome might have been if he'd had the whole race of Wyrms at his back. At his back…? The deceptive, devious Wyrms? No. Perhaps that wasn't such a good idea, after all. "That's Ryou's sword, isn't it?"

"A useful weapon in such circumstances."

Abraham went to one of the living room windows and looked out into the darkness. Night had crept up sooner than he'd expected and with it had brought a great number of Abraham's children. They weren't the only ones to answer the call, but they had been the first to arrive. With a battle against the fae anticipated, there were many eager to take their part. In fact, Abraham knew there would be several other masters out there, waiting to here when they would march into battle.

"What does it do?" Abraham didn't leave his place by the window, nor would he until Miko returned. He didn't trust them at all. Not even the vampires he'd sired were trustworthy. In fact, they were probably the least trustworthy of them all. Abraham didn't even like having the Wyrm in his home, but he couldn't stop them as easily as he could stop his own people. "That sword, I mean. It's clearly not just a sword."

"It's a key." The Wyrm gave an odd sort of smirk. "Ryou didn't know what it was. Why should he? All he knows is that his family has been searching for the mate for many generations. I think the idea of the search had become more dear to them than the actual sword."

"Well…what does the key do? You do like to talk in riddles, don't you?"

"Keep up that attitude and you and all your little minions can sit out here under the moonlight while I stroll into Tintagel and just take care of this situation on my own."

The threat was enough to make Abraham look away from the window. The Wyrm would do it, too. Disregard the fact that if they didn't get a chance at a little fae blood, the vampires outside would be VERY angry - Abraham couldn't care less if they were angry or not - but if the Wyrm did it on his own, Abraham wouldn't be able to rescue Kuj. More than that, he wanted to rip the face off the creature who'd taken him. "Very well. PLEASE, tell me what the sword does."

"It's mine." He raised the sword to his face and rubbed his cheek along the blade. "The other was hidden to keep it away from Arago when that demon walked the Earth."

"YOU?" Abraham exclaimed, in mock astonishment. "Afraid of a mere demon? Perish the idea!"

"Silence brat. Your age has done nothing for your intellect."

"Well, where did you hide it? Will having the mate influence the outcome of this war?"

"Significantly."

"You don't seem overly worried."

"I'm not. There is nothing to be worried about." The Wyrm paused a moment before continuing to speak. "Rajura will be here in a moment. Then we wait for the rest of them."

While the war would go more smoothly with as many warriors as possible, Abraham didn't like the idea of involving them. Especially not the boys he'd lived with for the past few months. "We can do this without them."

"Are you going soft?"

"Hardly. But inexperienced children will get underfoot."

"Possibly. But you've never set foot in Tintagel, nor have you ever faced the might of the fae. They can be surprisingly. The glamour…"

"Is no different than what vampires use."

"But it is entirely different from Rajura's skills. Besides, all of this hinges on Rajura, anyway."

"What?"

"They're after him. Though you may not have liked it, you've had dealings with the fae. Surely you've heard of Ari."

It took Abraham up short. "Ari is a myth, a delusion of that mad queen of theirs."

"Believe as you like, but I tell you they will open their world for a chance to get at Rajura. I can travel there alone." He held the Ryouken close. "And my agent already works on my behalf, though she doesn't know it. The only way you'll get your forces to Tintagel is to wait for Rajura to be bait for you. Wait for Rajura. I go hunting, now." Then, it was gone.

Youja Kai-  
Ryou-

The pain was gone, but he was still alone. Alone until he opened his eyes and found himself looking up at the strangest scene. Naaza and Shin stood over him, glaring blackly at one-another. "You're taking him nowhere. If Ryou's in that body," Shin jabbed his finger at Ryou without looking at him. "Then he's staying here. He can stay with grandfather Date."

"You'd endanger them both by keeping them here without decent protection." Naaza replied. "He was taken for a reason and if they realize that something had happened to their prisoner, it is likely that they'll come searching for him. Fae can't get into the Youja Kai."

"A world filled with demons? You think I'd let him be put there where we might never see him again!" By then, Shin was nearly yelling.

"Well, it's there or let him die." Naaza looked at grandfather Date who stood with his hand on Seiji's shoulder. "You'll let them both die."

Neither of them was willing to budge. "Why would I want to go to the Youja Kai?" Ryou asked, at last. "And why does my voice sound so odd?"

"Ryou?" Shin squatted down and looked at him, curiously.

"Yes? Why are you staring?"

Shin bit his lip. "Forgive my suspicious nature. Please tell me, what were you doing the night I found you in the park?"

Ryou felt the blood drain from his face. Blood. Ryou found himself suddenly very thirsty. "The park?" He glanced around behind Shin. Everyone was watching him. Surely, Shin wouldn't make him talk about that in front of everyone. He leaned forward and whispered, "Do you mean the pick pocketing or the…the eating?" He couldn't quite get it to come out that he'd been eating raw meat. Not just any raw meat, but he'd been sharing the carcass of a dog he and Byakuen had caught together.

"Ah!" Shin smiled and looked relieved. "It's you."

"Of course it's me. What's happening! Why's Seiji in a hospital gown?" He must have been hurt in the crash. Ryou remembered that well enough. "And why are we graced by a visit from him?" Ryou lifted a hand to point at Naaza but as he did he saw his hand. The only problem was that it wasn't his hand. It was very big and had fine blue strands on hair on the back and running up his very hairy arm. Ryou stared at the hand in horror. "What?" He raised the hand to his face, but the features didn't feel familiar at all. There was a scar on his cheek. "Whose face is this?"

It was Touma who brought him the little mirror and Ryou found himself staring at Anubisu's reflection. "Oh, man."

The room was the door opened noisily, as it seemed someone had broken it, and Shin's okaasan stormed in, looking half-angry and half-worried. "Here you all are!" She threw her arms up. "Honestly, I've been hunting all over for you." She looked curiously at Ryou and Naaza, but bowed politely to grandfather Date and greeted him. "Well, that's almost everyone accounted for. Where's your mum, Shin-chan?"

Shin looked blank for a minute, then his eyes narrowed. "I thought she was with you."

"She went down to prenatal, but when I went down to look, I couldn't find her. One of the nurses said she saw your mum down there, but I haven't seen a hint of her. The last thing she said to me was that she'd just met a friend of yours, Xiu-kun. Some man with sunglasses."

"It was Michael." Shin told Xiu.

"Speaking of whom," Xiu frowned. "I haven't see him in a while, either. That's weird. He's kinda protective. Maybe he went home."

"He didn't." A new voice at the door just before papa and mama Faun rushed in and nearly knocked Xiu over in a double embrace. "Boy," Papa Faun said, gruffly. "Michael called us." He didn't say anything else, but looked Xiu up and down to judge the injuries and when he was satisfied that there weren't any to worry about, he patted Xiu's cheek. "You had us worried. When Michael called…Glad you're alright. Never been so worried…not since…Lai."

Mama Faun was crying the whole time, wailing that he'd better never worry her like that again. How stupid was he to ride around without his seatbelt on! Was that true? The police told them he'd been thrown from the car. How he hadn't broken his neck was a miracle!

While that was going on, Naaza looked more and more sour, like he was going to be sick to his stomach.

"Excuse me," Shin interrupted the happy family reunion with a strained smile. "Has anyone seen my mum, lately?" The smile faded as he looked around at the blank faces. "No one? Well, she has to be here somewhere!" Shin stormed out of the room with his okaasan right behind him.

A long while was spent in silence. Ryou had questions to ask, but he didn't know how to ask. He didn't know why Naaza was with them or where the other Ma-Sho were. He really wanted to know where his body was and were the fae those people that had kidnapped him? How had he gotten out of there? For the meantime, he poked and prodded Anubisu's body and tried getting used to the feel of it. He'd always wondered what it would be like to be so big.

After a while, Shin stepped back into the hospital room. He looked like he was in shock. "My mum…she's gone."

"Gone?" Touma frowned.

"Okaasan and I went to look on the security cameras. She was in prenatal. Then, there was another woman. Mum fainted, I think. Then Michael was there. He fainted. Isn't that funny. He didn't look the sort to just faint. Then, all three of then disappeared. Just…gone." He leaned into Touma's arms when Touma came close enough. "Didn't recognize her."

"Tall?" Naaza spoke up, sounding more curious than worried. Why should he worry? Ryou wondered, angrily. He didn't know Mouri-san. He didn't know what a wonderful person she was. "Tall and fair?"

"Yes."

"Fae." Naaza spat the word. "Waging war on women. Vile."

Shin broke away from Touma and seemed to leap away across the room to Naaza. They stood toe-to-toe and Shin snarled with his lips curled up away from his teeth, "Then we kill them!"

"Yes!" Naaza agreed, eagerly holding his fist in the air. "War!"

To be continued… 


	12. Ari Lives!

Chapter 12: Ari Lives

At the Magic Bus Hospital-  
Kayura-

Kayura woke to Naaza's anger and Rajura's simmering fury.

It was strange. Naaza wasn't the type to get angry easily, but the emotions rolling off him were easy to read - disgust and a desire to kill. "Fae." Naaza spat the offensive word. It was the first word Kayura had heard since she'd woken up. "Waging war on women. Vile." WE'RE IN A HOSPITAL. Naaza thought to Kayura once he'd realized she was awake. RAJURA JUST BROUGHT YOU AND THE OTHER ONE. SHIN, SUIKO, JUST FOUND OUT THAT OUR ENEMIES HAVE KIDNAPPED HIS MOTHER. I THINK THEY MUST HAVE A DEATH WISH.

Shin, a smaller boy than Kayua would have guessed now that she could see him out of his yoroi, broke away from a blue haired boy, whom Naaza told Kayura was called Touma, and seemed to leap away across the room to Naaza. Small he might have been, but Shin was obviously no coward. He stood toe-to-toe with Naaza and stared up at him with furious eyes, snarling with his lips curled up away from his teeth, "Then we kill them!"

"Yes!" Naaza agreed, eagerly holding his fist in the air. "War!"

"Wait!" Whoever it was that wore Anubisu's body held up his hands and looked around. "Just what is going on? What are fae and why would they want Shin's mum?"

"Fairy is a more common name for the fae." A blonde boy said, trying to discreetly dress himself in the middle of the crowd, as it didn't seem that anyone was going anywhere. HIS NAME IS DATE SEIJI. Naaza informed Kayura. "Western mythology, and apparently a lot more real than most people think. They've got Shin's mum…"

"I know." Anubisu's inhabitant said, sharply. "I saw her! That woman had her brought out and she showed her to me. Said something about Ari liking mortals. She said…ah!" He put a hand to his head, furiously trying to remember. "She said…she said 'The life she carries will be a treasure to keep.'"

It did nothing to soothe Shin who pounded his fist against the door. "That dog can't have my mum or my little brother or sister!"

"She won't." Naaza assured him. "We go to…" He stopped suddenly when Rajura spoke from wherever he was, letting both Naaza and Kayura hear him.

YOU'LL DO NOTHING. STAY WHERE YOU ARE. THIS IS MY PROBLEM, SOMETHING I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF LONG AGO.

IN THAT CASE, Naaza told him. YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF IT BEFORE IT INVOLVED SO MANY OF US.

DO AS YOU'RE TOLD!

UNLIKELY. Naaza tried breaking off the conversation, but Rajura was persistent and kept at them.

IT'S DANGEROUS. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE FAE OR SEDARI!

YOU'RE ON FIRST NAME'S BASIS WITH THE ENEMY? WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED? "Kay?" Naaza knelt down next to Kayura and put a hand on her back to help her to her feet. As soon as she was standing he smiled. "Want a drink of water?" BIG BROTHER'S BEING STUBBORN. WANT TO GO TO WAR?

Kayura looked around the room. There was an old man silently helping Seiji to get dressed and a beautiful woman crying in the corner while Touma tried awkwardly to comfort her and Shin still livid about his kidnapped mother. Ryou, in Anubisu's body, was staring into a mirror hanging on the wall and running his fingers through his hair. "That Sedari woman took Anubisu, didn't she?" Kayura asked. It was pretty obvious that whoever was wearing Anubisu's body was not Anubisu.

YOU MISSED THAT PART. Anubisu told her, following her gaze. THAT'S RYOU. HE AND ANUBISU SWITCHED PLACES. SOMEHOW. MY GUESS IS THAT IT'S A DHAMPIRE, THING.

Ryou. That was the name that had caused Anubisu so much pain since Rajura had uncovered his hidden memories. The one Anubisu was in love with. WE SHOULD GO.

Again, Rajura heard and shouted out, YOU'LL STAY WHERE YOU ARE! IF I'D WANTED YOU IN DANGER I WOULDN'T HAVE GONE TO THE TROUBLE OF TAKING YOU AWAY FROM THIS PLACE.

WHAT PLACE? Kayura asked. WHERE ARE YOU?

Rajura was silent and Naaza finally lost what little patience he had. It must be said that Naaza is a very intelligent man. He was a physician and, therefore, normally very logical. He was also under sever stress due to the death of a family member and the potential death of another. He was not in a logical mood. YOU WANT TROUBLE? I'LL GIVE YOU TROUBLE IF YOU DON'T TELL US WHERE YOU ARE.

YOU WOULDN'T BE SO CHILDISH. Rajura said, seeing what Naaza had in mind.

I WOULD.

DON'T.

THEN TELL US WHERE YOU ARE!

NO.

FINE. Naaza left Kayura's side and went to where Ryou was still looking at Anubisu's reflection. With a nasty smile, he put his hands on Ryou's shoulders and leaned down enough so Ryou would see him in the mirror. "You and Anubisu were lovers." He said it loudly enough to get everyone's attention and smiled even more when Ryou's eyes grew wide. "He's not human. He's a dhampire. He drank blood from you on the night you met, when he killed your 'friend' bishop Brannon. His house burnt down around him. Who do you think did that? Anubisu wanted to hide how the man truly died and a fire was as good a cover-up as any. You, he found walking the streets and couldn't resist your warm blood. He drank just a drop from you and became addicted. Frankly, I don't know what he sees in you, but that's the way it is, I suppose."

Ryou kicked backwards, but unused to Anubisu's body, he missed badly and Naaza stepped away from him easily. "What the Hell are you talking about?" Ryou snarled. It came out deep and gravely in Anubisu's voice. "I never met him before the war!"

"He erased the memories you had of him. Our Rajura, you see, he's a seer. He saw the future and he saw the war. Though he won't admit it, I'm sure he knew the outcome. He just didn't tell anyone. He saw our battles and told Anubisu that he'd have to fight against the one he loved and Anubisu decided he couldn't do it. So he destroyed your memories and then had Rajura conceal his own. Why else would Anubisu willingly take your place in your torture? Now," His smiled hardened a bit. "I'm going to rescue my brother. If you want to know the whole story, you might want to come along. If he dies, you'll never find any answers and you'll never get your own body back."

DON'T! Rajura snapped. TINTAGEL ISN'T LIKE HERE OR THE YOUJA KAI. IF YOU GO THERE, YOU'LL HAVE NO POWER. THE YOROI WON'T WORK. THAT'S WHY THOSE TROOPERS COULDN'T SENSE THEIR COMRADE WHEN HE WAS TAKEN.

It was Kayura who answered, her voice sounding more sure of herself than she had since she'd been removed from Badamon's influence. THEN WE'LL FIND ANOTHER WAY.

CHILD! GET YOURSELF HOME AND…

YOU INTRODUCED ME AS THE EMPRESS OF THE YOUJA KAI. WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO BE? EMPRESS OR CHILD? I DON'T THINK I CAN BE BOTH. Kayura's eyes grew hard even as she thought to Rajura. RIGHT NOW, A CHILD IS USELESS TO ANUBISU. RIGHT NOW, I MUST BE EMPRESS. YOU ARE MY GENERAL!

For a response, Rajura closed his mind so completely that they wouldn't be able to trace him to wherever he was. It made Naaza curse silently. It was just like Rajura to keep all the fun to himself.

Ryou-

Lover?

Anubisu had been his lover?

'That's not right. It can't be.' Ryou looked again at the reflection that wasn't his. 'It's a lie. But why?' For the life of him, he couldn't think of any reason for a lie. What benefit would it do to the Ma-Sho to lie about that? Ryou squelched the sick feeling in his stomach. 'What kind of slut do they think I am?' It wasn't as if they knew about what had really happened before the wars. Though that woman had…Ryou put his hands to his head. That still hurt.

"You look like you need a drink." Seiji, now dressed in his normal clothes, was standing close at Ryou's side. He didn't look entirely well, but at least he was awake and alive.

"You, of all people, are actually encouraging me to drink?" Ryou forced a laugh, but it didn't sound very convincing, even to him.

"No, but if Anubisu normally looks like he wants to throw-up and faint at the same time, I don't think he'd have made it as one of Arago's generals." Seiji looked closely at Ryou, studying him from all angles. "It's hard to believe."

"You're telling me." Of everyone on the planet, only the other Troopers knew Ryou as completely as that woman now did. Ryou didn't even want them knowing so much about him, and they were his friends. He loved them like they were family, Hell! Seiji WAS family. But to have that crazy woman knowing everything, it really did make him want to throw-up. "Look, she knows. The woman who started all this knows everything. She knows about the yoroi."

"How?" Seiji frowned. "I know for a fact you wouldn't tell her anything so…oh."

"What's that mean?" Ryou demanded, crossly.

"Ryou…" Seiji hesitated, then came close enough to whisper into Ryou's ear, "Did she get in your mind? She did. She…" Seiji spat out a curse and looked ill. "She pawed around in your head."

How could Seiji know something like that? Ryou felt the blood drain from his face and he suddenly felt like he had nothing in his head but wool. Without warning, Ryou dashed to the room's bathroom, closed the door behind him, then emptied his stomach into the toilet.

All the while he was doing that, all he could think of was that it had been Anubisu's previous meal. For a while Ryou heaved until there was nothing left to bring up and Ryou was able to sit back and catch his breath. He wanted nothing more than to be at home in his warm bed and all of this to have been a nightmare.

No one barged in until Ryou was finished, but then the one who did come into the bathroom was a surprise. "Nasty?" He looked up at the woman who looked very tired.

"Don't look so worried." To Ryou's surprise, Nasty knelt down next to him and put her arms around him. "Everything's going to be alright. I'll make sure of it for you. I know everyone's confused now, but I promise it'll be alright. Just promise me you'll take care of that body."

"Why?"

"Well," She smiled. "You never know. We might not be able to get you your body back if you can't give Kuj back his. Now, everyone's out there talking war. Well, everyone but Xiu's parents who just want him to go home and Seiji's grandfather who isn't saying much of anything. I think he's resigned to Seiji's fate. Shin's okaasan doesn't know whether to cry or scream." She pursed her lips together and looked frustrated. "This is all so inconvenient!"

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. If the fae could have just minded their own business, this never would have happened. Trust me, it's not your fault."

"I'm not sure." There were a lot of things he wasn't sure about. What he was sure of was that Anubisu was in his body and the last thing he remembered was being tortured. There had been a voice speaking to him that wasn't any of the Troopers or Rekka. The voice had been familiar and, now that he thought about it, could very well have been Anubisu's voice. Even now, Ryou knew he wasn't alone. While he still couldn't feel the other Troopers, there was something else there. A cool pulsing Ryou guessed must have been Yami. It seemed to be sleeping, though, and closed away from Ryou. He could also feel someone else and knew it was the same voice he'd spoken to just before he'd switched bodies with Anubisu. Even Ryou didn't have too hard a time in figuring out who that was. "I just wish I could understand a little better."

"It'll come in time."

"But it just doesn't seem right. I'd never go after a guy like Anubisu. I don't even know what the others think about me, now. If they believe Naaza, if they think I've been sleeping with the enemy…I haven't! Honestly!" But really, what did he know about Anubisu other than the fact that he had a big sword?

"Are you alright?" Nasutei put her hand on Ryou's forehead, though she was still smilingd. "You've turned bright red."

"Just an unexpectedly dirty thought. They're talking war out there?" Ryou pushed himself to his feet and nearly fell. Anubisu's body just felt too big all over. Which brought on another dirty thought. If he'd really wanted to, while he was still in possession of Anubisu's body, Ryou could find out just how big…all over.

"You're blushing, again." Ryou saw tears in her eyes. "I'm so glad this is going to work out. What a waste it would have been if you hadn't been open to the idea."

"Waste? Look, I don't know why you think you can fix everything, but you should stay here where it's safe. If there's gonna be another war, I should be in on it." It was only right, after all. If anyone was going to be put at risk, it should be him. They'd all gotten hurt because of him, even if Ryou still wasn't sure how. The important thing was to get his body back in one-piece and then try to switch back, even if he couldn't use his own or Anubisu's power. Couldn't spend the rest of his life waking up to Anubisu's face. Not that it was really THAT hard to look at. Oops. Dirty thoughts, again. "I'm glad you believe me, Nasty. What a mess it would have been if everyone had thought I was Anubisu. With my luck, I'd have gotten attacked or something."

She laughed at that. "Oh, I think I should know the difference between you two better than anyone." She stood up and patted him on the head and walked out of the bathroom.

Ryou followed her out, only a step or two behind, but by the time he'd walked out of the bathroom, she was gone. Ryou looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen. Only then did Ryou realize something she'd said. 'Who's Kuj?'

Everyone was ready to set off. It wasn't as easy as it normally was. Xiu was trying to convince his parents that he wasn't going to die and Shin was trying to convince his okaasan not to come along. Shin took the little woman's hands in his and kissed her cheek. "Please, don't do this."

"She's my wife!" Ryou had never seen Mouri-san so agitated. "How can I just sit here and do nothing! Some pathetic…ugly…slut comes along, grabs her and…."

"And you have to let me take care of this. She's my mum and I swear I won't let anything happen to her! Even…if I can't," Shin choked and drew his okaasan into a hug. "I can't lose both of you. This is my responsibility."

Mouri-san looked as if she might burst into fresh tears or start yelling, but then good sense won out. She nodded, pressing her lips together in a hard line. "All right. I'll wait here. I know you'll do everything you can. Touma, dear, if your mother shows up, I'm going to break her nose."

"Thanks, okaasan Akane." Touma gave her a thumbs-up. "Don't break your nails, though."

There was still the trouble of finding where Rajura was. Though Xiu loudly voiced his doubt that Rajura knew everything, Kayura told him very certainly that where Rajura was, they would find the enemy. It was made all the more difficult when they realized that to their usual method of transportation - standing in a circle to enhance their power - was slightly different. They lacked Ryou's power, as well as having added Naaza and Kayura into the circle, threw things a little off balance. Added to the fact that they had to bring Ryou along, psychically carry him as he had no power of his own, made everything all the more difficult.

"Finding him won't really be all that difficult." Seiji said when Xiu brought up his concern. "He can hide, but not entirely. I can find him."

"How?" Naaza asked, suspiciously.

Seiji said, with a perfectly straight face, "I'll need sheep entrails to answer that." Ryou had almost forgotten about Seiji's tendency to lie.

"No problem." Naaza answered. "We're not that far away from farmland."

"Oh, shut up and get away from the mirror." Seiji grumbled. With that, he walked passed Naaza and went to the little mirror Ryou had been staring into earlier. Muttering something under his breath, Seiji stared into the mirror. Whatever he saw, Seiji kept to himself. Ryou looked over Seiji's shoulder, but could only see Seiji's face. After a moment the whole room fell silent but they still couldn't hear what Seiji was muttering. "There!" Seiji broke away from the mirror and turned back to his audience triumphantly. "Found him."

Naaza and Kayura looked at each other uncertainly. "Are you sure?"

"Very. Come along. Let's get this done with."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ryou heard Kayura whisper to Naaza as they formed the circle. "This has never been done before. How does he know where Rajura-san is?"

"I haven't the slightest." Naaza moved to stand in position with the others who prepared to transport. "Just relax and focus on Rajura."

Just before they transported, papa Faun took Xiu's arm. "Wait." From under his coat, with a reluctant look on his face, papa Faun pulled a small handgun. "Take this. If you can't use Kongo, you'll be helpless."

"NO!" Mama Faun protested, grabbing his arm. "You promised! I don't want him…"

The argument was ended when Shin snatched the gun out of papa Faun's hand and slipped it into the back of the waistband of his pants. "Don't worry. I wouldn't let Xiu play with these nasty things."

"You can shoot?" Papa Faun, like most people who thought they knew Xiu, hadn't guessed that he had more in his past than he wanted to admit to.

Shin's okaasan gave a hysterical little laugh. "You wouldn't believe what my boy can do. Just make sure you come home." She looked around at everyone. "All of you."

Then, following Seiji's lead, they were gone.

It was a surprise to them all when they found themselves standing outside Nasty's mansion. The first thing that any of them noticed was eerie feeling of being watched and when they looked about to see hundreds of pairs of eyes shining them in the darkness.

Those eyes, cold and waiting, weren't nearly so worrisome to Ryou as the gnawing thirst that suddenly took hold of him.

Tintagel-  
Bion-

"Your certain this is it?"

Bion didn't look at Jomai. Instead, he kept his eyes focused on the arched entryway that had long since been abandoned. One didn't need any magic to tell them that the castle's entry hadn't been used for many years and was probably forgotten. It was filled with cobwebs and a hundred or so tiny spiders. The entrance was obscured from casual view by overgrown bushes, forgotten statuary, and several large trees.

"I told you before," Bion couldn't keep the smirk off his face. "I can find ANYTHING. This is the entrance you want. What you do after you go in is your own business. Now," He turned to face Jomai and held out his arms, expectantly. "My daughter?"

"Of course," Jomai handed Luin over absently and put her hand on Bion's arm. "For what it's worth, thank you. I really was very fond of your mate and your young." She started down the dark passageway at once. "Remember me, Bion. If this is treachery, I'll haunt you."

"I've kept my part of the bargain and I'll go no further. It's your responsibility to keep yourself alive"  
Jomai didn't say anything to that and soon was swallowed up by the darkness. The utter silence of the garden was more disconcerting that sneaking around the Lady-Queen's garden. A satisfactory end to a long job and there was no one who could say that he hadn't done his best on all accounts. He'd completed his objective to the best of his ability, even though he'd have done a better job if the damned fae hadn't come to wreck his plan, and he'd found the hidden entrance to the Castle of Light just as he'd said he would.

"But I didn't get paid for that." Bion grumbled. "I'll have to track Jomai down if she survives her little rescue attempt." But still, it was good for his ego, if nothing else. And, added to that, there was the fact that if he ever needed to get inside the Castle of Light he knew how to do it. It was useful information and therefore if the job had been done for free, Bion would count it as useful, regardless.

It hadn't been a hard job, considering many of the jobs Bion had taken on in the past, but it was one of the most stressful. Bion didn't like getting so close to the fae and just being where he was, skulking in the castle gardens, was enough to get him brought before the Lady-Queen Sedari and that was the absolute last thing he wanted to deal with. At least Jomai had kept to her word and handed Luin back to Bion the minute he'd taken her to the secret entrance. It wasn't really a secret, anyway.

Bion turned away from the entrance, intending to start for home and try to settle back into life. He had a daughter to take care of and new responsibilities. Maybe he'd take on work as a scribe instead of a Finder. It was safer work and…

Bion was seized very suddenly by two monstrous hands, each one as big as his head and each one wrapped around his throat. The heartless Wyrm spun Bion around and shoved him hard against the stone wall of the castle, jostling Luin enough to make her cry. The Wyrm paid the baby no heed, but kept it's awful gaze on Bion

"Where?" It muttered, hissing foul breath through the deadly mouth.

Bion had seen Wyrm's before, but he'd never had the misfortune to come so close to one, nor had he ever had need to speak with one. His day was just getting worse and worse. "Where what?" Bion managed to get his voice to squeeze past the claws digging into his flesh.

"I can smell my boy on you." It let go of Bion with one hand, but that was no reassurance as just a second later, Bion heard the hiss of steel and there was a sword at his throat. "My innocent, misused cub has been in your company. In fact, I'd wager you've ever put your hands upon him. You've had your paws on my property!" With each word, the Wyrm was getting angrier and angrier. "I smell not only my boy, but my beloved sword." It lowered the sword just slightly and tapped the spot where Jomai had laid her hand upon his arm only moments ago. "You've put your hands on that, as well. Arrogant. I don't think I've seen such presumption in a very long time. "

"I had no idea they were yours." Bion disliked groveling, so why did it seem like he was doing it so often? "Your boy? A human child with an easy laugh?" Bion hadn't heard Ryou laugh often, only once while watching him and preparing the trap. But what a pleasant laugh it had been. "I was hired for the job. It was nothing personal."

"Nothing personal? Again, with the blasé response. Not only has your search for money taken my Ryou from me, but it has taken my other boy. Both of them now damaged from such rough treatment. My sword was hidden, but you managed to find it."

Sword? It was Jomai, then. Bion kept his mouth shut about that. He had no idea how it would affect the Wyrm's temper if he were to say that he'd just sent the 'sword' into danger alone. "It was orders of the Lady-Queen."

"As if I have any care for that mad, old crone." It looked down when Luin let out a particularly loud wail and smiled in such a way that it made Bion tremble. "You have young of your own. Good. Then you know my despair at losing my boys. Let me warn you," The Wyrm glanced around at the darkness. "I am not the only one who has lost children in all of this. Your actions have brought you to the attention of a master vampire and the generals of the demon Emperor, Arago."

Bion felt himself pale and couldn't stop it. Bad enough to have a Wyrm angry at him, but throw in a master vampire and a demon's lapdogs? "None of them can get here."

"They can if a pathway is open for them. And, if I know devious little Ari," He spoke the name slowly, drawing it out as though he were afraid Bion would miss it. "He will have an entrance opened in short order."

Ari? It wasn't possible, but why should the Wrym lie? It had no reason to lie. Logic told Bion that Ari was near and finally willing to face the Lady-Queen. "Aw…nuts."

"In a nutshell, as humans say. Now, I intend to take my humans away from this place before Abraham sets his vampires loose and before Ari looses his temper. Care to help or shall I make your young an orphan?"

There wasn't any choice. "A fae woman just went down there. A passage behind the bushes. She's your sword, unless I've become stupid all of a sudden. She's going to find a boy called Ryou. I don't know about the other one you're talking about. I swear it!"

For a very long moment, the Wyrm studied Bion as if it were trying to see a lie on his face. Satisfied, it let him drop back down to the ground and stalked away. Before it had even reached the passage, it broke into a run.

"My poppet," Bion whispered to his still whimpering daughter. "We have landed in it this time. Vampires, dhampires, demonic warriors, fae, and now a Wyrm. What say we get out of here? Midgard is lovely this time of year. I never cared much for spring in Tintagel, anyway." It was as good of an excuse as any and Bion was sick to death of everything that had to do with Tintagel. He and his daughter vanished, never to set foot in Tintagel, again.

A cell under the Castle of Light-  
Michael-

He wasn't at all happy when he woke and he thought that it was the headache that did it to him. Too much to hope that it had been a dream. No, that woman had done something to him in the hospital. 'And I was hungry! That'll teach me to go in search of food when I'm supposed to be guarding Xiu.'

For some reason, whomever had captured him hadn't bound Michael. He was just laying on the floor feeling bruised and a little worse for wear. It looked, for all the world, like a dungeon. Michael didn't care, much. Why should he care? All that mattered was getting out and making sure that Xiu was alright. Well…he also had to find that woman. A little revenge wasn't a bad thing. There was also that Mouri woman, the one who'd been attacked in the first place. What anyone could want with a nice, house-wife type of lady was beyond Michael. Actually, he knew very well what someone would want with her, but it was best not to dwell on such unpleasantness.

Michael spent a moment testing himself. He wasn't injured that he could see, at least nothing serious. Well, how far could he be from home? A little investigation would be easily done once he left the room. Thankfully, whoever had had him locked up was a fool. Their technology was still in the dark ages and a four year old could have picked the lock. Michael nearly laughed when he'd bent down to examine it. No keypad or any electronics at all. It couldn't have been easier if he'd wanted it.

And his mother had asked him why he wore hairpins. Teach her to call him girly.

Michael pulled a hairpin from his hair and used it to pick the lock. Cliché, yes, but effective. The door sprung open after just a moment's work and Michael was free. He knew very well that the job wasn't over until he was back at the Faun Family Restaurant with everyone accounted for, including Xiu. For all he knew, this whole mess was a plot by one of papa Faun's rivals and they might have taken Xiu while Michael was unconscious.

'They were after that lady, Mrs. Mouri, but she told me her son was a friend of Xiu's. Maybe this is a way of getting at Xiu. Doesn't make much sense, but it is a possibility.' Which meant he had to make a thorough search of the building and surrounding area to make sure no one else was taken.

Michael put a hand to his jacket and made several pleasant - yet puzzling -discoveries. Whoever had kidnapped him hadn't taken his gun or his cell phone. He could only imagine that they were amateurs who didn't know what they were doing. He dialed the number for the restaurant, but all he got was static. That was odd. The cell phone had never failed him before. But, it wasn't all that important. He'd find a payphone, if he had to. First order of business was to get out of the building.

The halls were like a maze, when Michael started trying to find his way around. They went round and round, upstairs and downstairs every wall looking exactly the same. There were torches for light but no windows and the only things to break up the monotony of walls were the cell doors that seemed to be spaced every five feet or so. All the while he wandered, he didn't see a single guard in the whole place which told Michael - with growing dread - that no one ever tried to escape. 'Either escape's impossible, or they just think it is. Either way, it's not a good sign.'

Because there was a chance that the woman, Mrs. Mouri, was in this place, Michael didn't feel like he had much choice but to look for her. If, as he feared, this was all some kind of plot against the Faun Family, it was entirely possibly that the mother of one of Xiu's friends could be used against him. For that matter, they might have already lured Xiu to whatever place this was. Michael didn't know how long he'd been sleeping. Maybe it had been days that he'd been laying in that cell.

Every cell that Michael looked into had someone in it. Every one of the prisoners were quiet, though most of them still seemed to be alive. When Michael would look in through the little barred windows, he'd often see the prisoners turn their head or blink at him. Most of them seemed very young, but it struck him that they all looked alike. Tall and fair. Unlike the woman he'd seen in the hospital, though, they looked rather…wilted. Like a flower that was losing its color.

Michael hadn't gone far before he turned a corner and nearly ran smack into a woman. She was nearly identical to the woman he'd seen in the hospital, the one who'd attacked Mrs. Mouri. Were all these people alike? Only after they stared at each other for a moment did Michael see the differences. Her nose was a bit longer, her eyes a shade softer. The total lack of insanity. Unfortunately, he realized all these differences after he'd already pulled out his gun and had it aimed at the woman.

If he'd been expecting a hysterical reaction, Michael was disappointed.

"A gun? How unusual. Still, keep it close. We may need it. This way." And she started walking away with a purposeful stride. "Do try to keep up."

Michael didn't move. "I'm on my own way." He told her, firmly. "I'm looking for a woman. She's about so high with mousy brown hair. Bony little thing, too. Seen her?"

"A human?"

"No, a tyrannosaurs rex."

"Really?" Then she started off down the hall again. "I'm sure you won't find many of those here. However, I have heard of humans having been brought here before. If you do happen to need a human, I may be able to help you. I'm searching for one of my own, at the moment."

Frustrated more than he thought possible, Michael began to follow her. "Where is this?"

"A dungeon. Other than that, I'm sure you wouldn't believe me. How did you get here? This really isn't a good place for humans."

"I saw a…friend of mine." It wasn't exactly a lie. He'd only known Mrs. Mouri for a few minutes, but she had seemed rather nice. "She was in the neonatal ward of the hospital and a woman who looked remarkably similar to you had followed her. My friend fainted all of a sudden. Then I woke up here."

"She looked like me?" The woman stopped short and turned to fix her hard eyes on Michael. "It's possible. I'm told we all look alike. Neonatal? Your friend was with child?"

"That's a quaint way to put it, but, yes. I'd guess she was if she was down there. Why do you look distressed all of a sudden? Should I be worried?"

"Probably." She laughed. "Call me Jomai and as for what's going on, I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you. Stay close and I'll do what I can to see you and your friend get out of this alive. After I get my friend out, naturally."

"I'd expect that."

"The boy I'm looking for is right around the corner."

"How do you know?"

"I always know where my Ryou is." She smiled so fondly that Michael found himself glad to have seen it.

'A pleasant sight, but not one to be dwelt upon.' He told himself. It was certainly no time to get distracted. "Let's go then. You help me and I'll help you." He followed Jomai, but kept his gun in his hand with the safety off. She 'said' she would help, but for all he knew, she could be part of the whole plot.

Michael had an urge to creep through the passages, but Jomai was not the creeping type, it seemed. She knew right where she was going and led Michael to a door that had no little window as most of the other cells did. "You'll wait here. In a moment I'll send the guards out." Her face darkened. "They've hurt my Ryou, but it would be unwise at this point to kill them. I'll take care of that later."

There was no point in arguing with her commands, as Michael figured that she must know what was going on better than he did, so he did as she said and waited by the door. It wasn't an easy wait. There was no cover to hide in and the chances of someone walking around the corner were too great for Michael's nerves. He found himself tense as a bowstring with his eyes darting this way and that. After a moment, just at Jomai had predicted, two men came out of the room. Michael was able to hide behind the door so they never saw him. It struck Michael as odd that even the men, from what he saw of them, looked so much like Jomai and the woman he'd seen in the hospital. Were they all relatives or something? Their features were all so similar that even Michael found it a little intimidating.

After the men had gone and Michael was certain he was alone in the hall, he pushed the door of the cell closed, but not all the way, for fear of it locking. Time dragged by, but somehow Michael resisted the urge to call out to Jomai.

In the end, it was Jomai who called out. Quite loudly, too. "Human! Get down here!"

Human? Michael frowned at the word as well as the tone. She did keep hinting that she wasn't human just from the way she used the word. Still, he did go into the cell. It was the strangest cell he'd ever seen, more like a large chamber. There were a set of stairs he had to go down and in the large room he saw Jomai bent over a table.

People were vile and the boy he saw on the table only confirmed Michael's belief. It was the same boy he'd seen Xiu with so many times and he knew it would hurt Xiu to see his friend like this. A more foul sight, even Michael had never seen. In his long life, Michael had seen what evil humans were capable of. He'd seen the old steal the innocence of the young. He'd seen children torture helpless animals. He'd seen women kill their own children. This had to be on the top of the list of nightmares, though.

The boy, Ryou, had been opened like a pig for dissection for a high school science project. It was like the 'Y' incision used to open a cadaver during autopsy. Cut from both shoulders to the center of his chest and then a single cut straight down to his naval from there. Then, whatever sick mind had done this to the child had used large needles to pin him open, leaving all the vital organs exposed to light and whatever bacteria and germs might be floating around in the dank dungeon.

"Don't stand there, fool!" Jomai's voice snapped Michael out of his shock. "Help me!"

Worst of all, Michael thought as he rushed to the other side of the table and slipped his gun back into its holster, was that whoever had done this to the boy had left him wide awake. Even when Michael moved to take the restraining needles out of the boy's mutilated flesh, he turned and looked at Michael with such angry eyes.

'I know him!' Michael realized with a sick feeling. 'Xiu ran off with him just a few hours ago. They're friends.' THe plot was growing thicker. These people had taken a friend of Xiu's, and the mother of a friend of Xiu's. "What's all this about?" Michael demanded of Jomai after he jerked the first needle free and started tugging on the second. "Why do this to him?"

"Because they can. My people have never been well-known for ethics. Just get Ryou unstuck and maybe we can avoid an all-out war. I doubt it, but it may be possible."

"Get him out!" Michael repeated, horrified. "We can't move him! His insides will fall out!"

"This is no time to argue!" The fair woman seemed to be losing her composure for the first time and as she ran a hand over her hair to brush it away from her face, Michael saw her ear. It wasn't a human ear and Michael suddenly realized that maybe this wasn't a simple kidnapping. "We must get him out of here and then find the woman you're looking for before the Lady-Queen can commit to transfer."

"What are you talking about?" She was right about getting the boy out of there. How Ryou was still alive, Michael had no idea, but he was. "How's he held down?"

"Glamour." Jomai replied. "And I'm talking about the unborn child that the Lady-Queen will destroy if we don't rescue it and the mother immediately. Why else would she want a mortal creature with child?" Jomai leaned over Ryou and stared into his eyes. "There." She straightened up. "They'd loosened their hold of his mind to let him react to the pain. I suppose they wanted to see how he would react. It's lucky for us. If they hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to break it."

"Fire." Ryou whispered the word., blinking his eyes furiously and clenching his hands open and closed, desperately trying to move himself. "Give me fire to close the wounds. We must get away!" It was shocking that Ryou could still speak, let along think so clearly.

"I don't know that fire will work…"

"We haven't got a choice." Ryou grinned. "Unless you think you a have a hope of calling an ambulance? You've already tried, haven't you? Your phone doesn't work. Pull those last pins out then bring fire. They were careful not to damage anything inside. You just have to seal the outside and I'll make it. Trust me," He looked at Michael with such fierceness that Michael was taken aback. The boy had murder on his mind. "I'll let nothing harm this body."

Now there was an odd thing to say. Still…couldn't just leave the boy.

"Alright. Alright." Michael agreed. There was plenty of fire around from the lanterns and torches on the walls so Michael fetched one of them while Jomai finished freeing the boy, Ryou. "I don't see how it's going to work, but let's just do it and get out." If he had a needle and thread, Michael was certain he could do a better job of stitching up the boy instead of the drastic measure of cauterizing the wounds. No matter how defiant he was at the moment, Michael knew that the chances of Ryou surviving were very slim. For that matter, where was all the blood? With what he'd obviously gone through, why wasn't the floor covered in a great puddle of blood?

He returned with a lantern and held it out for Jomai. "What do you want, next? I've never done this before."

"You just stand guard at the door. This one and I will be there shortly. " She gave Ryou a hard, peculiar glare. Hadn't she seemed fond of him when she spoke of him moments ago? "If he survives the healing."

"That doesn't sound promising."

Michael looked down at Ryou to see his reaction, but the boy said nothing. He just watched Jomai expectantly before turning an amused smile to Michael. "You'd best do as she says. Neither of us are in any position to argue." His eyes turned back up to Jomai. "Do you worst."

When Jomai pulled a tiny dagger from her bodice and inserted the blade into the flames of the lantern, Michael left to do as Jomai asked and guard the door. He looked over his shoulder every now and again to check on their progress, but Jomai's back was towards him and Michael couldn't see anything of Ryou but his head and legs. While he would see Ryou flinch or grimace from the pain, not once did the boy cry out and that amazed Michael. He could hardly believe that his torturers had given Ryou any medication, he was too articulate to be medicated.

'And somewhere in this madhouse, that poor woman's here.' He didn't even want to think about what he'd do if she'd been treated like Ryou had been. The people of this place deserved nothing less than death. 'She can't be too far off. How big can this place be?' It was that thought that got Michael to stray from his place by the door. There were no enemies around that Michael could detect and he couldn't resist the chance to peek into a few more of the doors.

After all, she wasn't his employer and though Ryou might be a friend of Xiu's, Michael's first duty was to make sure Xiu wasn't in the nightmare and, if he were, to get him out. Jomai and Ryou would just have to wait their turn.

All the cells in the halls looked the same, all but one.

There was a cell with two guards standing rigidly at attention, their backs against the door. They carried long spears, but didn't really look all that dangerous. They looked frail, but that could mean nothing. It was a mistake to judge people on appearances. Michael knew that he looked ordinary. Unless they knew his reputation, no one was afraid of him. Criminal behind the door or not, if there was a secret that Michael should know, he knew it would be found in that room.

Easy enough to shoot the unsuspecting guard, but then what? There would be no noise as Michael customarily wore the silencer on his gun, but even that might not be effective. He was fairly convinced that he wasn't dealing with humans, so who could tell if bullets would affect them at all? Even if he did manage to kill the guard, what guarantee did he have that there wasn't some kind of dangerous criminal locked behind that door? He wasn't about to set anyone dangerous loose on the world.

'Strangulation is out of the question. Even I can only do one at a time and the other could shout for help, if nothing else.'

While Michael was trying to figure out what to do, something landed on his shoulder. It was a weight so heavy that it nearly sent him off balance. A weight wrapped around Michael's throat and he was yanked out of the room, into the passageway, but what he saw when he looked at the…thing…that was holding him, made Michael forget everything else, even poor Ryou.

It was huge.

Gray in color and with a body that was something like a giant insect or a lizard. It's eyes were very large, but it had no ears that Michael could see. It's long snout came close to Michael's face and for the first time in his life, he was too afraid to remember the gun in his hand. It breathed on Michael and he choked on the smell. Not foul, but overly sweet - syrupy.

The creature didn't look either male or female, naked save for the glimmering of translucent scales that adorned it's body. It was completely hairless and looked rather like a humanoid lizard with claws on its hands and feet and large, alien eyes. It was delicate, with a thin but powerful body.

"You…" The thing said, it's voice sounding odd as it worked its way around the needle-like teeth. "You are another stranger. How many I seem to be meeting today." The hand tightened around Michael's throat and he found himself gasping for air. "Tell me where my weapon is."

"Your damned weapon is in your hand." Michael said as evenly as he could. "The only weapon I have is my own. Now, get off me!" Michael managed to say it without yelling, but couldn't take much pride in that. If he couldn't keep calm, he might just end up crying and, in all honesty, Michael didn't think his pride could take that blow.

The creature let out a sound that might have been a laugh, but it did let go of Michael.

At the sound of the laugh the guard at the door, whom Michael had been watching, jerked towards them and raised his spear to attack. He opened his mouth but whatever he was going to say didn't come out. Instead, a choked sound and a little blood spurted out of his mouth.

Probably had something to do with the sword the creature had run through his chest.

The second guard took two steps forward, but go no further because of Michael's gun. His shot was perfect, right between the eyes and Michael knew the man was dead before he fell. He turned his attention back to the creature who nodded approvingly at the man Michael had killed.

Michael had known a lot of fighters in his life and even more killers. He'd gone through rigorous martial arts training at the insistence of papa Faun and he'd seen masters in action. Still, despite all that, he'd never seen anyone move so fast as the monster had.

"Fae drop like canaries in a mine at the first sign of resistance. They aren't in for a good war. Not anymore. They used to be interesting opponents. Now that we're free of interruptions," It stalked back to Michael, not seeming to care that the blood was running off its sword and dripping onto the floor. "Perhaps you'll tell me where my sword is. I can smell it on you." The creature drew the sword from the dead man's chest and smiled at the blood. The word came out almost like a sigh. In its hand, the creature held a sword that looked like something out of a fantasy movie. It just didn't look like a real weapon. But the way the creature was holding it left little doubt about how effective it thought the sword would be.

Michael would sooner trust his gun, though. "Far as I can see, it's in your hand."

"Very funny. I'm searching for the twin of this sword."

"Don't know anything about a sword." Michael edged around the creature and tried to ignore how amused it looked. 'I'd be amused if someone was as afraid of me as I am of it. I wonder what that thing is. I guess there's no polite way to ask.' "I'm looking for a way out."

"Then you're going in the wrong direction. You're going deeper into the dungeon." It laughed again. It wasn't a reassuring sound. "If you're looking for other humans, there's one in that room. I can smell it. Female, I think."

One look into the tiny window in the door showed Michael the woman he'd been looking for. She was laid out of a bed, and looked as if she were asleep. The room didn't look like a cell, but a comfortable room. The bed was quite big and decked out in pink blankets and lacy pillows and the walls were a cheery yellow. There were flowers on the little tables at the bedsides and a pleasant perfume in the air.

Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. There were several other people, the most prominent of them being the woman Michael had seen in the hospital. She was pacing around the bed, listening to men talk.

Curiously, Michael strained to listen, also.

"The baby is developing perfectly. It's an ideal vessel for your divine soul, Lady-Queen. She's very healthy, from what we can tell. Are you determined to go through with this? It hasn't been attempted in a good many years."

"Do I ever change my mind?" The woman asked, sharply. "This is what must be done. Ari will love me all the more if I were the shape of a human. He cares for mortals. If I could, I would arrange to take the shape of a dhampire and replace the ruffian who takes up my Ari's time."

"You do realize that the unborn child's soul will be destroyed the moment you complete the ceremony, don't you?"

"Of course." She answered carelessly.

Michael stepped back away from the door, furious and seeing red. That hadn't happened for a very long time and never because of some woman he'd only known for a few moments. To destroy an unborn child's soul? Monstrous. Simply monstrous. Still irrational, Michael raised his gun and wondered how many he could kill before the rest of the guard would come but he didn't get close to firing or even aiming.

The monster grabbed him by the throat and pulled him away. "No time for this."

"They're going to hurt her baby. I can't just leave her!" Michael hissed, trying to pull against the creature's grip.

"You must!" The creature pulled hard on his arm until Michael heard the footsteps and voices getting closer and closer. There was no choice. He turned and fled with the thing, moving as quietly as they could through the hallways, but as they went he could only think that it was stupid. Utterly stupid to think that they would be able to go through a whole castle completely unnoticed. The castle was lit brightly, there were no dark corners of narrow passages they could keep to. Still, the thing didn't seem worried and Michael didn't see where he had much of a choice. As they went, he kept his hand close to his side so that if it became necessary, he'd be able to grab the small gun he kept in his holster under his jacket.

When the creature took him by the hand it startled Michael enough to make him pull away, but it did no good. The creature held on tightly and kept walking. "Keep still and quiet. The fae are a dangerous people and what you did to involve yourself with them, I have no idea. It was a mistake, whatever it was."

"I was in the wrong place."

"I don't care. Keep silent." The claws on its hands dug painfully into Michael's hand. It jerked its head to one side and then to the other, listening with the ears that were nothing more than little holes in the side of its head. "If you prove to be more risk than advantage, then you may find yourself wishing I'd left you in the comfort of the fae's dungeon." It swung its head around to meet Michael's stare and pulled back its lips, showing off teeth in a terrible grimace. "I am Wyrm. There will soon be a war and before that happens, I plan to reclaim my property. If you go in to rescue that woman, you'll do nothing but die. She will weigh you down as you try to escape and you will, at best, be killed. At worst, you will be captured. You aren't fast enough to hope to fight them and your mind is too human to avoid glamour. If you wish to live you'll follow me. I have a feeling you may be useful."

The Wyrm led Michael straight back where he'd come from where he found Jomai coming out of the cell, helping Ryou along. Though he looked worse for wear and had ugly, raw burns on his chest in the shape of a "Y", Ryou was alive that was at least one blessing. He was pale and looked like death warmed over, but all of that could be dealt with later.

Ryou's reaction upon seeing the Wrym wasn't what Michael had expected.

"I thought you might be here." Ryou and Jomai said in unison. They both turned and stared at each other, apparently shocked that the other one would know the Wyrm. Ryou looked irritated and Jomai looked almost angry, but neither of them said anything. "Let's just go." Ryou said at last, sounding disgusted. "I can't stand this much longer."

Despite the fact that there were potentially enemies all around, it amazed Michael that the Wyrm took time to gape at Ryou. "What has happened?"

"Don't ask me." Ryou grumbled. "I just got here. What do you know?"

Anubisu-

It didn't really surprise Anubisu to see the Wyrm in the dungeon, though he supposed that maybe it should have. Why not? It had masqueraded as both a wolf and a tiger for how many hundreds of years? Why shouldn't it be able to sneak into wherever they were? The important thing was to get Ryou's body back to Ryou and retrieve his own. "Don't ask me. I just got here. What do you know?"

"That you know more than you're telling, little brother. Your sire and Rajura were both very upset. You put your mind too close to Ryou's and let him exchange places with you. You're stuck."

"Very clever. Now, don't suppose you know a way to get us unstuck?"

"It was your doing. You and Ryou will have to sort this out on your own."

The human looked confused and the woman looked even more angry than she had before, but she didn't say anything. Anubisu was glad for her support. He'd never felt so weak, but sealing the wounds made by the fae had done nothing to ease the pain. If only everything else would straighten itself out. He felt like he couldn't smell anything and as if his ears were filled with cotton. Was this what it was like to live as a human? To have one's senses dulled was no way to go through life. It made Anubisu pity humans.

The Wyrm nodded and turned to lead the way out, but stopped very suddenly and looked around before it let out a laugh. "That wretched human. He's gone back for the woman." It turned its gaze to the woman and smiled. "My weapon." It purred with pleasure. "My greatest tool."

She smiled and held out a hand to the Wyrm. "I am at you disposal, maker."

The Wyrm took her hand and the moment they touched there was a terrible light that burned at Anubisu's eyes and made him look away. As soon as he could look again, the woman was gone and the Wyrm held a second sword. It held the two swords aloft, side-by-side. "Perfection. My greatest creations."

"I saw that sword in Ryou's mind." Anubisu breathed. It shocked even him who'd seen so many things. "How…?"

"You talk too much for one injured." The Wyrm looked at Anubisu closely, scrutinizing the sealed wounds. "Can you walk alone? Must I retrieve that human man to assist you?"

"No. I can make it." Anubisu couldn't stop thinking about it. "How did you do that? That woman was real."

"Rajura's illusions often seem real. The Ryoken Twins were made long ago for a war I did not wish to lose. They came to the attention of people who would possess them. For their safety, I hid one with the human family of the Sanadas and the other in the shape of a woman. When I found her spending time as a virgin in the cult of the carpenter it was great luck. She looked after my Ryou and I was able to keep close to her. Now," It rubbed its thumb against the dragon wrapped around the hilt. "Now, it has taken back a previous form."

"So…" Anubisu thought, sifting through the dim memories he'd seen when he'd taken Ryou's blood for the first time. "Sister Jo was your sword? And this fae woman?" How unlikely was that? A sword living multiple lives.

"To be precise, the Ryoken, was Jomai, the fae. She was bored with this life and chose to masquerade as a human woman. She happened to meet Ryou and myself, then later returned to this place, Tintagel. The Sanada family was kept nearly worshiping that sword for centuries when I charged their ancestor to hunt for the twin. It was good busy work." It walked slowly beside Anubisu who struggled not to let the pain show on his face. "Now that I am armed again, I think I will help Abraham keep his vow."

"What?"

"Nevermind."

It was times like that, when the Wyrm led them back down a hall it had just come down to find the human man, when Anubisu was tempted to believe that Naaza was right. Humans were stupid. To think that even a human would be fool enough to just wander around the fae's castle was nearly unbelievable, but this one had.

"How is Ryou?" The Wyrm asked as they prowled slowly down the halls. "You are still in contact with him?"

"Only distantly." Anubisu looked up at the fae woman and wondered why she said nothing about all of this. She obviously knew Ryou, though how, Anubisu didn't know. She had to guess that something was wrong. "He's alive and well, but I suppose he's confused to wake up in a different body…wait." Anubisu had heard something. A high-pitched cry and frenzied, drawn-out laugh.

"He lives!" It was the woman who'd taken Ryou, Anubisu recognized her hateful voice as she shrieked out ecstatically. There was the sound of a door slamming open and the voice came closer. "My Ari! He calls to me! Ari lives for me!" She laughed manically and didn't stop until she passed them in the hallway.

Aubisu felt himself freeze even as the Wyrm's hand tightened around the sword that had been Jomai.

The mad fae drifted passed them. She had just turned a corner and come face to face with them. There was a dreamy, far-away look on her face and though she looked right at them - Anubisu knew her eyes met his - she made no hint that she actually saw them. She came within feet of them, inches of brushing against the Wyrm, but looked right through them.

"He calls to me. He calls….me. Ari! Mine…at last….mine!"

Strangely, the Wyrm did nothing, just watched her pass and vanish into the darkness. "She's not mine to deal with." The Wyrm whispered. "That is Rajura's duty."

To be continued…. 


	13. Welcome to Reality

Chapter 13: Welcome to Reality

Earth-  
Rajura-

Rajura cursed after closing his mind to Naaza and Kayura. Why didn't anyone ever listen to him? He was the oldest. He was a seer. Didn't they think he knew what was best for everyone? Then again, he hadn't had a single vision since the one where he'd seen Sedari and even that one hadn't done anyone much good. 'Why do thy call it a blessing? I see what will happen, but it's not as if I can affect anything.' The vision was all making more sense, though that didn't reassure Rajura at all. Standing outside the Yagiyu mansion he recalled that vision that had appeared to him just before this mess began.

Vision-

It struck hard.

"Give them back!" Rajura found himself shouting. There, at the far end of the room, was a very familiar figure. A woman who made Rajura's skin crawl.

Sedari reached out her skinny arms to him. "I'll have you back one way or another, Ari. We're meant to be together."

"No, Sedari. Never. Give me back my brother." He knew Anubisu was near, afraid and in pain. But he also knew it wasn't Anubisu alone who suffered from Sedari's sadistic treatment.

"He's the bait. You wouldn't have come without him being my guest."

"Guest!" Rajura thundered, furiously. "You've tortured him! I felt it! Every moment of it! I saw his pain and felt what you did to his body. Give me my brother!"

"Ari…"

"Ari is gone. I am Rajura!"

Wolves and tigers with cold eyes.

Twin dragon swords clashing in the dark.

Blood.

Anubisu crying.

Lovers.

Death.

Naaza holding the body of a dying Rekka.

End of Vision-

Parts of the vision were becoming clearer, but this was hardly the time to be pondering it. One lesson Rajura fully understood - visions were never wrong and the future could not be changed. All he could do was make the best of it and try to get everyone out with as little pain as possible.

Naaza holding Rekka's body meant that Naaza was caring for the boy when Rajura had left him at the hospital.

The lovers were Ryou and Anubisu.

Wolves and tigers referred to the Wyrm that had been with them all along.

Anubisu crying was because of the torture.

The twin dragons…another reference to the Wyrm, though Rajura wasn't sure why he saw two of them.

Finally, death. He'd seen death in the vision, but not who would die. That was the part that disturbed him the most. The way things were going, it seemed that Anubisu would be the one to die and Rajura knew he'd be ill if he thought too much on that point.

Rajura pushed the thoughts from his mind to focus on the 'now'. He had to take care of the present and the future would happen whether he liked it or not. So he started for the large house, trying to ignore the vampires he knew were in the forest all around. Of course, he couldn't sense them as Anubisu could, but it would have been foolish for Abraham NOT to call them and Abraham seemed far from foolish to Rajura.

"You need a nice soak in a hot bath."

Rajura stopped walking and turned to find Sh'ten sitting in the grass smiling at him. He looked very much at ease and very real. "Good evening."

"Good evening. What have I told you about getting too tense? You'll get wrinkles on that pretty face. So…how are things here?"

"It's been better. You do know that you're dead, don't you?"

"Yes. Won't you sit with me?"

"I haven't time." But it hurt Rajura to admit it. He wanted nothing more than to just sit and talk. To find out if Sh'ten was pleased or shamed that he'd given up his life for them. He wanted to know if the final act of death had hurt and what the after-life was like. "My past has come to hurt us. Anubisu has been taken. He's hurt."

"I know."

"How?"

"I'm dead. I know pretty much everything, even if I can't tell you. Damned rules." Sh'ten gave that glorious smile that had lured so many lovers to his bed over the centuries. "I've been watching. It's all very exciting."

Rajura bit his lip to stop himself from reprimanding Sh'ten, just as he always used to. Why did Sh'ten have to think such serious matters were amusing? "Why are you back?"

Sh'ten laughed and leaned back to prop himself up on the palms of his hands. "I tried to warn you, didn't I? Your dream."

"You showed me a freckled man with a gun. Who was that?"

"A friend of one of those trooper boys, I think. Now," He hopped lightly to his feet and gave Rajura a serious frown. "In all honesty, I think there's only one important task I can accomplish here."

"And that is?"

"Don't blame Kayura for my death. You keep going on about how you're the oldest and you're responsible. Act like it, then. I don't blame her, why should you?" Sh'ten ran a hand though his hair and looked at the mansion. "Ah, I think you've been discovered." Indeed, there was little Abraham making his way from the house towards Rajura. "I want you to live through this, 'Jura. Don't let yourself be killed." Sh'ten's voice softened, sadly. "I don't think I can speak to you, again. I have to go. I do love you, big brother." Then Sh'ten was gone and Rajura felt a renewed pain in his heart.

"That little bastard." Rajura managed a half-hearted laugh. "Came back just to cause a little misery. I'll bet he enjoyed it, too." He had no time to muse on Sh'ten. He could do that later. Naaza and Kayura had disregarded his orders and Kayura was feeling out her new position as empress, seeing how far she could push her authority. He didn't have much time before they would appear and he'd have more family at risk. If he could deal with Sedari before they found him, the danger wouldn't be quite so vast.

"Are you ready?" Abraham asked when he reached Rajura. He was looking less and less like a harmless child. Though outwardly, he still looked the same, his eyes were hard and angry and hadn't changed since he'd first discovered his grandchild's abduction. They were both outside of the Yagiyu mansion and Rajura was acutely aware of the vampires Abraham had called, gathering around them. "My people are assembled and ready. They're hungry. I wouldn't keep them waiting too long, if I were you."

"There was family business to take care of." But Abraham was right. Time to stop fooling around. The hope that Naaza would be sensible enough to keep everyone out of the way had been dashed. "Just keep your leeches away from me and I'll give them a feast they'll never forget." Rajura spoke loudly enough so that not only Abraham would hear him, but that all the other vampires would hear, also. He was in no mood for games.

"My leeches," Abraham grinned, showing off his long canines. "Have a taste for something exotic, this night. I'm afraid you just won't do in this instance. We've always had a taste for fae." He made a sweeping gesture with his arms and asked, expectantly, "Well?"

There was one certain way to attract Sedari's attention and, fortunately, Rajura knew how to do it. He dismissed the Gen yoroi and stood under the moon in a simple kimono. Without the protection of the yoroi, he knew he looked vulnerable. He also knew very well that there would be spies around. There were always a few and for the first time since he'd left the mortal world behind, Rajura was counting on the spies to relay his message as quickly as possible.

"Sedari!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "Show yourself! I am Ari!" He said no more. That was all that was needed, if his estimation of Sedari's ego was even close. A few minutes ticked back when not a single sound could be heard. There was no movement at all. Then he heard a whooshing sound, like a gale of wind though there was no wind. In front of him, between himself and the mansion, a portal opened almost as soon as the words had left Rajura's mouth and he braced himself.

Sedari stepped through the portal with all the grace and elegance that Rajura remembered, a proud smile of her face. Sedari looked very little like Rajura remembered her. Then again, the last time he'd seen her, he had only been twelve and what does a twelve-year-old know about anything? Once, he'd thought Sedari was beautiful. He remembered her sweet voice and her soft hands when she would touch his face. The sweet memories didn't last long. Sedari had proved manipulative and possessive. She began to demand more and more of his time, jealously trying to keep him so close that he could barely leave her side. The day he'd escaped her had been the biggest relief of his life.

The portal Sedari stepped through was like a hole of light in mid-air and when he saw her Rajura found that his half-pleasant memories were overshadowed by reality. And it was reality that he saw. She was middle-aged, for a fae. Lines were developing on her face, in the corners of her eyes and mouth. Her hair was thinning on top with strands of gray streaking through the blonde. Her eyes…her dreadful eyes…were wide and shining too brightly.

"Ari." She beamed joyfully as she stepped towards Rajura. "I hurried here for you. For so many years I've looked for you. I began to think you dead. Oh, but that terrible thought was just a nightmare. You stand before me. You haven't changed."

Haven't changed? If nothing else, Rajura had grown about three feet since he'd last seen her. "Where is he?" Rajura kept his voice steady even as the fae soldiers began to march through the portal. Sedari hadn't been fool enough to walk to the mortal world alone. There were eight soldiers, each armed with spears and small shields. Rajura had known it would happen, but part of him had been hoping she wouldn't bring reinforcements. Not that it made any difference.

The portal behind her was still open and inviting.

Abraham was waiting, patiently for the last of the eight soldiers to get fully out of the portal.

"He who?" She asked, distantly.

"You know very well who I'm talking about. The boy, Ryou."

"Boy? Oh. Is that his name? He's safe. I'm taking care of him. You'd be so proud of me, Ari."

It was then that Abraham's people struck. The attack was not honorable and couldn't be called a battle by any means. Abraham's vampires swarmed on the fae soldiers like maggots to a carcass. They appeared out of the darkness hissing and growling, teeth gleaming and eyes shining with bloodlust. Several of the vampires caught spears, but only one of the fae's weapons managed to find a vampire's heart. That unfortunate vampire fell to dust almost at once, but the others fell upon his murderer. It wasn't long before all the soldiers were dead the vampires bloated on blood that left them grinning and even laughing as if they were intoxicated.

The victory was short-lived. More soldiers began to pour out of the portal, like ants out of an anthill.

Ryou-

The thirst was overwhelming, nearly crippling. Ryou felt like he'd never had a drink of water before.

Even when the others called their yoroi and leapt into the fray of vampires and fae, he felt suddenly both weaker and frantic with unused energy. The contrast was so violent that he fell to his knees and could do little more than stare at the battle. His jaws hurt and when he ran his tongue along his teeth, Ryou found two sharpened incisors had grown very quickly. Just the touch of his tongue made a bolt of pleasure run to his brain like a lightening strike. Most terrifying and exhilarating was the beat.

A pulse.

A drum pounding.

Some indescribable throbbing, a steady rhythm that only grew stronger and stronger until it wasn't just in his ears but echoed in his head and filled his whole body. A heartbeat. No. It was more than that. It was a hundred heartbeats all resounding at once and all of them inside Ryou. It was painful and wonderful all at once and made the thirst unbearable. His vision sharpened so vastly that he could see every blade of grass whether it was lit by the moon's light of not. He could see every hair on the head of every person in the battle. Ryou felt as though he were being crushed and he loved it.

"Kuj…Ryou!" Nasutei was at Ryou's side and put her arm over his shoulders. "Blazes! Oh, blazes!"

"Stop shouting!" Ryou cried, pressing his hands against his ears. "It hurts! Why does it hurt?"

BECAUSE YOU'RE ME. The voice Ryou now knew was Anubisu answered. YOU'RE DHAMPIRE. LIVE WITH IT TILL I GET BACK.

MOVE FAST! Ryou ordered.

With strength Ryou hadn't believed possible for such a little woman Nasutei pulled him close to her side and held him tightly. "Of all the foolish…when did he feed last? You're starving!"

"What's wrong with me?" Ryou forced the words out, but it was hard to talk, harder to concentrate. All he could think of was the sweet smell of something he didn't recognize. It was like oatmeal all around him and filling his nose, he could practically taste it. "I feel…I feel…" There were no words for it, it was just a need.

He felt the touch of Anubisu's mind push through the hunger, trying to subdue it. DON'T GIVE IN. YOU WON'T LIKE IT, I THINK.

WHAT'S WRONG?

MY BODY NEEDS TO FEED. DO AS MOTHER TELLS YOU, SHE'LL PROTECT YOU.

Mother? Ryou blinked away the tears and looked up at Nasutei. "Mother?"

She smiled and Ryou didn't think he could pass it off as his own imagination when he saw two long fangs peeking over her lips. "I'm here. Don't worry. I'll protect you. If it's the last thing I do, I'll protect you." She pulled Ryou close and kissed his forehead.

Though there was chaos all around and Ryou was dimly aware that more and more of the fae were pouring out of the portal and that his friends had already jumped into the battle.

ANUBISU? THAT'S YOU, ISN'T IT? Ryou didn't need to hear the answer. There would be plenty of time for answers when this was all taken care of. WHAT'S GOING ON?

Anubisu didn't answer for a minute. I'M DHAMPIRE. THE BODY YOU'RE IN, I PRESUME IT'S MINE, WANTS BLOOD. YOU DON'T REALLY NEED IT, BUT MY BODY'S GETTING HUNGRY. IT'S NOT WISE TO DENY IT. He was in pain and the more he spoke to Ryou, the more obvious it was becoming. Ryou could feel it like a phantom pain in his chest.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY BODY? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE?

YOU'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH.

Just at that moment, Ryou's eyes happened to fall on Kayura, dressed in the Oni yoroi, fighting for all that she was worth.

"No." Nasutei had a firm grip of Ryou and forced him to look at her, putting a hand on the side of his face to turn him away from Kayura. "You mustn't. Not her. It's forbidden to take from children unless you mean to kill them. I don't think you could live with yourself after that." Her words had the desired effect of stalling Ryou and Kayura moved on to another fae to battle with. "You don't want to hurt children."

The hunger wasn't to be denied just from Nasutei's words and he clutched at her arm, desperately. "It hurts!" Like claws trying to rip apart his insides, not just his stomach, but his throat and his brain. Everything was centered on the thought of blood and what he would do to get the blood. There was Seiji, not far away, looking so concerned when he saw Ryou on the ground, half laying in Nasutei's lap. Seiji had been injured, though not seriously. His lip had been busted and his mouth was covered in blood. Unconsciously, Seiji lapped the blood off his mouth and continued on with the fighting. With that one lick, Seiji brought about the first, guilty, surge of lust Ryou had ever felt looking at him.

'Oh…' Ryou's thought couldn't quite move beyond that when he stared, entranced. 'Xiu's gonna kill me.' He was thankful, for the first time, that the others couldn't tell what he was thinking. That couldn't bring anything but trouble. No matter the danger, no matter how much Ryou loved Seiji, it was impossible to tear his eyes away from the blood. Seiji was looking less like a friend and brother and more like dinner.

"Control yourself." Nasutei pinched Ryou's arm and, strangely, bit Ryou on the ear. It was enough to get his attention away from Seiji's bloody lips - and Ryou's growing fascination - but when he looked at Nasutei he stared. "My eyes?" She laughed. "Don't look so shocked. Yours are red, too. It's just the hunger." She looked up then and her face grew hard. "Ahhh…there she is, that fae bitc…Ugg!" She grunted when Ryou suddenly swung his arm and caught her across the chest, sending her flying back several yards.

He just couldn't stand it any longer. Ryou surged to his feet, then straight to the object of his craving. Seiji was too involved with swinging his sword against a fae, but one of the others must have seen Ryou's attack because Seiji turned at the last minute and dodge Ryou.

"What are you doing!" Seiji demanded. His eyes widened when he saw Ryou.

"Hungry!" Though Ryou was almost getting used to speaking in Anubisu's voice, the way that one word came out frightened Ryou. It didn't frighten him much, though. In fact, most of Ryou's brain didn't seem to be working. All he could think about was the warm red on Seiji's lips.

Seiji-

Seiji tried to concentrate on everyone during the battle, to make sure everyone he cared about was safe. Xiu seemed alright, but Ryou was having problems. Probably something to do with being stuck in Anubisu's body. Shin, when Seiji glanced at him, kept looking at the open portal. It wasn't hard to figure out what Shin was thinking about, even if Seiji wished he weren't. BE CAREFUL. Seiji thought.

Shin smiled at him just before he and Touma rushed to the made a dashed for the portal and threw themselves through. They would rescue Shin's mum or they wouldn't return. As much as Seiji had wished he could persuade them to wait for help, he knew they wouldn't. He wouldn't have, if it had been his grandfather on the other side of that portal. The best solution was to end the battle quickly, then go through to help.

Seiji thoughts were cut off when Ryou charged him. It was terrible timing. No only did he have to defend himself against Ryou, but against a fae, as well. Seiji bent to let the fae's spear swing over his head instead of into it, then lurched forward to impale the fae on his sword. There was no time to check the enemy to see if he was dead, Ryou was still attacking.

"What are you doing!" Seiji demanded.

"Hungry!"

Whatever was wrong with Ryou, Seiji didn't like it. He believed. After all, Shin believed that Ryou was currently in Anubisu's body and Shin didn't lie to them. But to see scar-faced Anubisu, with bright red eyes and fangs bared, charging towards him made Seiji doubt that it was Ryou inside that body. He knew with great certainty, that Ryou would never hurt him, but…well…there was no sense in taking chances.

Seiji dodged aside when Ryou made another lunge for him. He swung his sword in an attempt to ward off Ryou, but it wasn't as if he could actually use the sword. It was only another thing to irritate Seiji. There was no time to even think of a spell to use because of all the enemy and they couldn't even use their attacks so close to the mansion. It was home, after all.

Apparently, Kayura and Naaza didn't feel the same restraint. It wasn't their home, after all.

Kayura flew into the battle like a madwoman with her jitte raised and her sweet voice screaming over the din. Her attacks felled dozens of fae, but also took down vampires who swarmed towards her. No matter what the reason for them being here, the vampires didn't have much in the way of self-discipline. Not one of them could lay a hand on Kayura and the one who did manage to grab at Naaza's arm found himself headless thanks to Naaza's whip of blades.

Ryou was faster in Anubisu's body and that body was faster than any of the vampires Seiji had seen in the battle. There was no trace of reason on his maddened face. Seiji just had to try, though. "Ryou! Wake up! Ryou!"

A growl was the only answer Ryou gave him before one last attack which Seiji couldn't avoid. He found himself pulled to the ground and pressed onto his back. Even in full yoroi, Anubisu's strength was unbelievable. It occurred to Seiji that in all their battles, Anubisu hadn't fought all out. With this kind of strength, he must have been holding back all that time. If Naaza had been telling the truth back at the hospital, maybe it had been some kind of lingering memory of Ryou that had made Anubisu go easy on them.

The struggle was fierce, but Seiji was handicapped by not wanting to hurt Ryou and it was a sever disadvantage. Ryou lowered his face to Seiji, but was pulled off at just the last minute with such force that Seiji feared Ryou would pull off his arms the way he was holding on. It was Nasutei who'd pulled Ryou off Seiji, but she was thrown aside, not by Ryou but by another vampire.

"At last!" The vampire holding Ryou shouted. He seized a hold of Ryou's hair and pull his head aside, just like in any old horror movie. No matter how must Ryou struggled, the vampire had a good hold on him. Not to mention the fact that several other vampires clustered around Ryou holding his arms and legs to stop him from moving. "Dhampire!" The vampire shouted the word with triumph before he bit into Anubisu's thick neck. Ryou jerked and thrashed, but the vampire didn't let go until yet another savior jumped in to help.

Kayura used her sharp jitte to slit the throat of the vampire at Ryou's throat. Though the vampire didn't die, it was enough to irritate him. The vampire fell back, holding his hands to his throat and making ugly gasping sounds. He didn't know what hit him when Jun came up behind him with a fierce look on his face and rammed his fist through the vampire's chest. Seiji felt his stomach churn when he saw - clenched in Jun's little fist - a still beating heart.

How terrible Jun's face was when the vampire fell away from him, dissolving into ash before he hit the ground. Jun glare at the pile of ash and snarled, "I told you not to touch my grandchild!"

Ryou, splattered liberally with the vampire's blood that had been spilt after Kayura had slashed its throat, hungrily lapped it up. He wiped the blood off himself with his hands then licked his hands clean like a starving man. It obviously wasn't enough, though. When he was cleaned of the blood, Ryou rose his face and looked around for more. His eyes fell on Kayura, standing just a little too close. Ryou leapt to his feet and grabbed Kayura by the hair.

Ryou-

NO! Anubisu screamed through whatever connection he and Ryou had, managing to break through the bloodlust that filled Ryou's mind enough for Ryou to understand him. YOU'LL NOT HURT HER!

Ryou could hear the words clearly enough, but the hunger won out and Anubisu's voice was pushed aside, no matter how powerful and insistent it was. It was about that point that Ryou completely lost his reason. To sate his hunger was all that mattered.

Kayura was no match for him and she was at more of a disadvantage as he'd come up behind her. She struggled and kicked when Ryou grabbed her wrist and bit deeply. Kayura screamed, but it only lasted a minute before Ryou was pulled away from her. Nasutei, again.

"Stop!" She ordered. "You want to sate that thirst? Then go! There!" She spun Ryou around and aimed him at the throng of fae. "Go! Go!"

Ryou took off as told and unthinkingly threw himself into the battle.

Tintagel-  
Miko-

It was a great relief to see her son feeding, again. All this time she'd worried about Kujuurou not getting enough to eat, but it seemed that her worries were not unfounded. The desire for blood was driving him, but not as strong as it was for pure vampires. In fact, before Abraham had given Kujuurou his first taste of blood, he hadn't any want for it at all.

At least she was relatively happy when she died.

It was such an anti-climatic way to die, too. Worthless. She didn't even die in defense of her child or her sire.

One minute Miko was fondly watching her son drag yet another disgusting fae to the ground and rip into its throat…then she had a spear through her chest. It took her completely by surprise, yet the urge to laugh was so overpowering that she let out a low chuckle even as she put her hands on the bloody, wooden spear protruding from her breast.

'Should've paid more attention…Abraham would scold me.' Even as she thought that, she looked up and saw Abraham flying towards her. 'Oh, now he's upset. I'm sorry, daddy.' She wished she could have turned to laugh at the fae who'd killed her, but she felt weak very suddenly. The sounds of the battle faded around her until she thought she'd gone deaf. At least the spear didn't hurt when her murderer yanked it to the side, right through her heart.

Death didn't seize her as quickly as Miko had hoped it would. She'd seen dozens of vampires die in her long, all of them fading to dust almost instantly. It seemed to take a long time for Miko, though.

She felt her heart being crushed by the deadly wood of the spear. She felt her body being to disintegrate. When Abraham drew closer, Miko reached out a hand to him only to see her fingers fall to dust followed by her hand, then her arm. It was a nightmare, a slow-action horror movie. But she saw her son feeding. She saw all her boys in their yoroi alive and fighting. She saw Ryou's body with another man who bore the body of Shin's mum run through the still open portal. All was well. Miko was happy when her vision and consciousness faded completely.

There was darkness everywhere. Darkness, then warmth and comfortable arms holding her. A man who'd died long ago, who'd been waiting for her to join him. At long last, after so many years, Miko let herself relax into complete happiness with pleasant dreams and happy memories of long ago filling her being.

Tintagel-  
Shin-

Wherever they'd ended up, Shin just didn't care. The army of fae showed no signs of letting up and only when Shin saw how many of them there were, did he realize how bad the odds were. Unless they were to call down their greatest attacks, fighting them hand to hand would prove exhausting. The room was crammed full of the soldiers, so full that Shin and Touma could barely move.

"Stay behind me." Shin ordered, nearly shoving Touma behind him where he could defend his friend with his yari. The trident was a better weapon for such up-close and personal battle. There was hardly any room for Touma to pull his bow.

"Damn it!" Touma cursed, letting himself be pushed back. They were in a bad position. Their backs to the portal, they could be forced back at any time, further away from Shin's mum. "Clear a path!"

"Gimme a break! You do NOT want to be in an enclosed room when I let Suiko loose." Shin shouted back, swinging his yari as quickly as he could to keep the enemy away from them. Their spears had a longer reach than swords, though, so it was harder to keep them at bay. He couldn't even take time to stab one with the barbed hooks of the yari as the others would crush them. If he dared to take the thirty seconds to shout out the words that would activate Suiko's power, they would surely be overwhelmed. "If you've got any ideas…"

Apparently he did.

Touma kicked Shin's legs out from under him, knocking him on the ground, and shouted, "Shin Ku Ha!"

It was Shin's turn to curse, but he did so laying flat on his belly in front of Touma with his hands protectively over his head and his eyes squeezed closed. He'd never been so close when Touma had shot off the Shin Ku Ha and there was good reason. There was a wave of air, a vacuum, that surged just above Shin, so close that he could feel his hair moving in the wind and couldn't hear anything at all. All at once, he felt as if his whole body would lift off from the ground - he could actually feel his legs start to be picked up from Touma's vacuum. Fearful that he'd actually get caught up in it, Shin shot out his arms and grabbed hold of Touma's legs to anchor himself.

Then it was over and Shin glared up at Touma. "Give me some warning, will ya?" He turned to look around and found the room empty. "Though I guess it worked out pretty well. I can't feel you, Touma." He said the last in amazement and stared at his friend in horror. He couldn't feel anyone. Luckily, it wasn't like when Ryou had disappeared. He was prepared for the shock and was able to deal with it, but it was still unpleasant.

"Yeah. Weird, isn't it? Reminds me of what it was like before. I don't like it. Let's get Mum and get out of here fast." Touma frowned at the empty room, then down at his bow. "First time I ever killed anything that was…you know, alive."

Shin put his armored hand on Touma's shoulder. "We're on our own here. We have to be more ruthless than before." Indeed, he couldn't feel any of the others, but he was glad that Touma was with him. How awful it must have been for Ryou to be alone in this place. A look around the room they were in showed that it was some kind of throne room with a raised dais and a throne. There were tall windows and large double doors at the opposite end of the room. "Now, where's mum?"

"Dungeons." Touma answered, heading for the double-doors. "Look at this place. It's a castle and all castles have dungeons." It was as good an idea as either of them had, so Shin followed Touma. Next time, Shin decided, he would use his attack first. No point in Touma having more guilt laid upon him, even if it was necessary. It was a coincidence that they found Michael, Xiu's friend. Running down one of the dark passages, they were guessing led to the dungeons, Shin and Touma turned a corner to come face to face with a human, peering into a doorway.

"Xiu's friend." Touma said, probably louder than he'd intended. The foreign man turned at his words and clutched at his gun, suspiciously. His eyes narrowed and he took a step back from the door, his eyes darting between the door and Shin and Touma. "Look," Touma started to say, but stopped when Michael - that was what Xiu had called him - put a finger to his lips to silence them. He pointed to the doorway, urgently.

Puzzled, Shin crept up to the doorway with Touma at his back, ready to fire on the man if he proved to be yet another enemy. He saw red almost at once. His mum laying on a plush bed with several of the fae standing around the bed, talking in hushed murmurs. A touch on his shoulder made Shin look up and he saw Touma, grimacing and starting to raise his bow.

"No!" Shin hissed, put a hand on Touma's arm to stop him. If Touma were to let his arrow loose, he would kill Shin's mum, too. Instead, Shin found the gun he'd gotten from papa Faun and aimed, wondering which one to take out first. That problem was solved when Michael made a sharp gesture, drawing Shin's attention to him. He pointed with his own gun to one of the fae, then pointed to Shin. It was clear enough. Shin aimed at the fae Michael had pointed out while Michael aimed for the other. They fired in unison and both fae fell, dead before they hit the ground.

There was a tense moment when the three of them looked around, expecting more enemy to have heard the shots, but no one came. "Hey," Touma gave him a gentle shove. "Since when have you been such a good aim?"

"Do you really want to know?" Shin didn't wait for an answer before he went into the room to his mum's side. "Mum? Come on, mum!" He shook her shoulder and patted her face as hard as he could without actually hitting her. "Oh, man!" There was no help for it. She didn't move at all, though thankfully, it didn't look like they'd beaten her.

"Carry her!" Touma told Shin sharply from the doorway. He hadn't gone into the room with Shin, but stayed at the door to watch for more of the soldiers. "We'll get her to a hospital back home, let just get out of here."

"Good idea." Michael, like Touma, hadn't left the doorway but he seemed to be getting more nervous by the moment. "You know how you got here?"

"Yup. Stick with us and we'll get you back to Earth."

Michael closed his eyes for a moment and swore in English. "I knew. I just knew it. I KNEW that thing wasn't from Earth."

"What thing?" Touma asked.

A new voice interrupted them, a soft, sinuous voice that sounded the way silk felt. "Me. And here I thought you'd run off, human." It wasn't a youja, Shin was sure of that, but the creature that stood in the doorway between Michael and Touma was definitely not human, nor was it a fae. Most importantly, it had Ryou. Or, supposedly, Anubisu inside Ryou's body. Touma was quick to pull Ryou away from the insect like creature, putting an arm under Ryou's arms to hold him up.

"So," Touma grinned at Ryou's pained face. "You're borrowing my buddie's body?" He looked down at Ryou's naked body and the terrible scars and burns. "Doesn't look like you're taking too good care of it. He's gonna be cross with you."

Anubisu, it must have been him, rolled his eyes in a very un-Ryou like way. "You have no idea. Let's just get out of here. Don't worry about Lightfoot." He looked tiredly at the insect creature. "She's…it's a friend of mine."

Just when Shin thought it was all over - everyone had been accounted for, after all - there was a terrible scream. The first thing that sprung to Shin's mind when he moved to shield his mum was that a banshee had come to haunt the halls of the unreal castle. The scream grew worse, louder and louder, but when Shin turned, expecting to see the three people at the door ready to fight, he saw both Michael and Touma sagging against the doorframe. Their eyes were half-closed and Touma's hand had grown so limp that his bow had fallen to the floor next to him. The insect creature had moved into the room and was half-hiding behind the door, ready to strike.

Shin would be no help to the insect creature at all. He, too, felt a dreadful lassitude spreading through his body. He sank to the floor, by the bed, completely helpless, though he was screaming at himself to wake up and move.

When the screamer scurried into the room Shin saw that it was the woman Rajura had faced off with outside Nasutei's mansion. Her eyes were wild and livid. She came to a stop just before the bed and looked at Shin's mum with something caught between hate and desire. Her throat was torn, ripped open savagely, spilling bright blood down the front of her gown.

Earth-  
Rajura-

"Sedari," Rajura kept his voice low and his body as still as he could. "I don't l love you. I never have and I never will. I despise you. The very thought of you makes my flesh crawl. What can I do to convince you? How long has this nonsense..."

"Nonsense!" Sedari's eyes grew wide, outraged.

"How long has this nonsense gone on?" Rajura continued, refusing to give her the respect of being listened to. "Two thousand years, when I was little more than a child clutching at my mother's skirts you came to me with sweets and stories. I ran from you. I left my home and my family to be rid of you. Haven't you grown tired of this chase after all this time?"

"Time is nothing." Sedari said, calming herself down almost at once. "An illusion, which you should understand better than anyone."

"Not to a human and, despite my power, I AM human. I am a man, not one of your fae courtiers. I do not lust after that body of yours just because you command me to."

She smiled arrogantly and leaned back in her throne. "Yet you are here as a result of my command. I think you would do anything I please to ensure the safety of the one that is my guest. Am I right, Ari?" She was too sure of herself. "I really don't know why you fight me so hard. All this I can give you." She spread her arms, indicating her own glorious body. She was beautiful, no one would deny that. Her hair was golden, like wheat field in the light of the morning sun. Her skin was fair and nearly glowed. The gown she wore left little to the imagination and showed off all her best attributes. Unfortunately, for her, Rajura's eye was fixed on the cruel little twist of her lips. A mockery of a smile.

Rajura returned the smile, but made it as cold as he could. "But I already have what I want." He waved an almost negligent hand at the battle where his brothers and little sister fought all of them striking and as magnificent as Rajura always saw them. "The one you have taken is not my beloved, if that's what you think. He's nothing but a boy I fought once in a minor skirmish. My dearest ones fight your people even as we speak. I have come only because I am weary of hiding myself from you."

"Your dearest ones?" Sedari's nose wrinkled. "A half-demon and a dhampire. One sheds his skin and spits venom, the other drinks your blood every night. The last one? A child?" She showed more anger in her expression at the mention of Kayura, but still managed to control herself fairly well. "I'll kill her once I have you somewhere safe. She isn't worthy of you. None of them are. You made such a point of being human. Are these dark things so much more appealing than the queen of Tintagel?"

"Yes." He didn't need to explain anything. To him, Sedari couldn't complete. He'd rather couple with any of the children warriors, the Samurai Troopers, than Sedari. He'd rather bed a werewolf. In all honesty, he'd much rather be forced to breed with a mushroom. "I don't need your power and I don't want your body. You have nothing else which to entice me into your bed."

"Give them back!" Rajura found himself growling. He'd worry about self-control when everyone was safe.

Sedari reached out her skinny arms to him. "I'll have you back one way or another, Ari. We're meant to be together."

"No, Sedari. Never. Give me back the boy." He knew Anubisu was near, afraid and in pain. But he also knew it wasn't Anubisu alone who suffered from Sedari's sadistic treatment.

"He's the bait. You wouldn't have come without him being my guest."

"Guest!" Rajura thundered, furiously. "You've tortured him!"

"We are so alike, Ari..."

"Rajura." Rajura snapped, far too tired of hearing the name he'd long ago left behind. "I am Gen Ma-Sho Rajura, general of my Lady Kayura. Ari vanished long ago." He was rapidly losing his temper and fought to regain it. There was no profit in letting himself go at this point. "Your glamour has little effect on me, but I expect I have a great deal of effect on your world. Do you really want to pit your glamour against mine?"

Sedari hesitated at the threat, as Rajura had known she would. She wasn't stupid after all. Her people weren't fighters and without their magic, they were helpless.

"Tempt me, queen of the Fey. Just once and I will unleash my power upon Tintagel."

Sedari was not easily cowed. "Your esteemed power is nothing more than glamour. Glamour made solid, but glamour nonetheless."

"True. But I am real and I am, by far, more fearsome than my dear brothers."

"You bluff, Ari." She stubbornly refused to use his preferred name. "Even in Tintagel we have heard much of the war your former master waged against Midgard. We know you are made less by the death of the fire-haired brat. The Oni child. How can you fight my world with less than full power?"

She obviously didn't realize that while Sh'ten was gone, his power had been transmitted in full to Kayura.

It angered Rajura a great deal more than he'd expected to hear someone like Sedari call Sh'ten a child. "More good fortune to you, then. If I were able, I would let Sh'ten loose in your kingdom and nothing would stand in his wake. That bothersome child was walking chaos just waiting to be set free. He would bring your splendid city to ruin and your people would be no more." He was distracted, during all of the argument. Not only did he have to contend against Sedari, but he was busy masking the battle around them and, most vitally, hiding Kayura from Sedari's sight. Though he knew Sedari had already seen Kayura, it was best to keep the girl out of sight for the most part.

It would have been far too dangerous to invite Sedari to make a personal enemy out of Kayura. While Kayura was immensely powerful, if Sedari were to dislike her, Rajura wasn't sure they would be able to protect her. Sedari ignored the men in Rajura's life, but had a passionate hatred of all women.

Ironic, really.

"You boast too much of your comrades." Sedari laughed, but it was true that she didn't seem happy. "They are not the only people who love you. I will do anything for you, my Ari. Let your Sh'ten loose in Tintagel, I no longer care. Soon, it will not be my home. I will live in Midgard with you by my side. Don't look at me so crossly. It is the humans who will make me their queen, I do nothing by violence. How can they help loving me?"

That was the end of Rajura's patience. He opened his mouth to speak when he saw what she was talking about. Yet another vision, though fleeting, flashed before his eyes. He saw a pregnant woman laying helplessly on a bed and knew that Sedari would use the unborn child to become human, displacing the infant's soul. He saw the Wyrm Ryou and Anubisu loved so well kill Sedari with its awesome blades in one quick movement.

When the vision had ended, Rajura waved a hand placing before Sedari he a large mirror. "Your arrogance is unbecoming, Sedari. Take a good look." He walked around the mirror to stand next to Sedari, the closest he'd been to her in a very long time. "Time to cast off your illusions and see reality. We all must deal with it, in the end." A wave of his hand and Rajura caused Sedari to believe her glamour was gone.

Sedari's reaction was immediate. The smile slid off her face and she stared in horrified fascination at her own reflection. Just at that moment, she was aware of nothing but her reflection. "Who is this woman?" She asked in a hoarse whisper, raising her hand as if she would touch her reflection. "That can not be me."

"But it is. That is what you truly look like. Without your glamour and without deception, see how ordinary you are? How do you like it, dear Lady-Queen?" Rajura looked at the reflection from behind Sedari. "You look very…plain."

She did. Her skin was sallow instead of the porcelain pale. Her eyes were gray instead of blue. Her hair, which had been the color of gold, was a rather dishwater color. Her long-admired curves were less than inspiring and her long arms and legs were nothing less than bony.

"No." Sedari put a hand to her thin face and ran her fingers along the line of her chin. "This can't be me. I'm beautiful."

"You are a vain creature, like all of your species. Without glamour, you are so ordinary." Rajura's eyes went to the battle, though he knew Sedari wasn't thinking of the warriors. Sh'ten's glorious hair…Naaza's hypnotic eyes…Anubisu's powerful hands…how beautiful they all were. Even little Kayura's sweetness was lovely. How could she ever think he would leave their company for her mindless raging? "Compared to humans, you are a mouse."

"NO!" She lashed out and smashed her fist into the mirror, shattering it. The glass shards showered to the ground like raindrops. "It's not real! I'm beautiful!"

"Welcome to reality." Rajura made no pretense about what he'd done and it was all the more cruel when he smiled at her horror. He picked up one of the larger glass shards and held it before her. "This is you. Without magic. Without illusion. You'll never have it again, either. I've destroyed your glamour." Of course it was a lie. Rajura could no more destroy a fae's glamour than he could destroy a human's imagination. But, he could make Sedari believe it was gone. "For the rest of your live, you'll be a dandelion in a field of orchids."

"Why?" She turned on Rajura with tears streaking down her cheeks, making her face flush with ugly blotches. "Why would you do this to me?" Her eyes flickered away from him down to the glass in his hand. She took it from him, not noticing when the edges cut her hands and blood started running down her arms. "My face…my lovely face…"

"It's your punishment. You've hurt my family. I can think of no greater evil. I thought about killing you for your dim-witted actions, but that would be too kind. I think you'll suffer more like this." As a last gesture, Rajura took her wrists and brought up the shard of mirror she'd been holding as close to her face as he could. "Look closely. This is the face that everyone, all of your adoring subjects, will see for the rest of your life. I wonder how the fae will take to having a homely Lady-Queen?" Then he stepped back and fell silent. He didn't have to do anything else.

Sedari was so lost in her own misery, the loss of her greatest treasure, that she no longer saw Rajura. "To live…like this? No. I can't." She gripped the shard more tightly until the blood was spurting out from her hands, staining the front of her gown. "This isn't me." She shook her head, the horror in her eyes growing by the second. "This isn't me! I'm beautiful! I'm beautiful and my Ari loves me!" She pulled the mirror shard to her in one sharp, quick jerk, piercing her throat. The blood spurted like a geyser from her throat, but Sedari didn't die instantly. She pulled the shard away from her and looked down at it, looking confused. "Loves…me." She stabbed herself again and this time fell to the floor.

Sedari muttered and moaned, staring into space. Rajura didn't worry too much, even when she turned and ran for the portal. She wouldn't die from the wound, no matter how terrible it looked. Something more sever was needed to for that final job and that 'something more sever' was waiting for her in the room where she'd imprisoned Suiko's mother. He'd already seen the outcome. He watched Sedari until he couldn't see her any longer, then turned to the rest of his companions. The fae were all dead, slaughtered by the warriors and by the hungry vampires.

The after-effects of a battle were never pretty. There was the dead to clean up and the wounded to tend. Thankfully, they'd only lost one ally to the battle. Sadly, it was the young woman Abraham called his daughter. Even more heartbreaking, there was no body left to mourn. Abraham was kneeling on the ground, wailing in grief at the moon overhead. Nothing would soothe his pain but time.

Naaza stood near Kayura, his hand covering the bite on her neck as he was no doubt healing it, with his eyes on Ryou in Anubisu's body. There didn't seem to be any great worry. Kayura, though wounded by Ryou's unthinking attack and exhausted from the battle, seemed to be unscathed. She was trembling and had both hands on the staff to support herself, her eyes a little wild and her face sweaty. All in all, it was pretty good for her first real battle not being possessed by a demon. When they went home, it would be time to start her training. He had been a fool. He'd nearly rejected his only sister.

Ryou looked bloated with blood and lay half-asleep on the ground, his face and chest drenched with blood while a smile rested on his lips and both Korin and Kongo stood guard over him. Undoubtedly, they'd seen the vampires trying to get a hold of him during the battle, too, and they wanted to protect him against the lingering members of Abraham's family.

All in all, the battle had worked out rather well. All that was left was to wait for the rest of their people to come back through the portal. It made Rajura look again at where Sedari had vanished through. "I hope you're happy with Ari. He's dead, too."

Shin-

"Nonsense!" The woman shrieked, sending another wave of whatever kind of power she had out to hit Shin. "It's not nonsense! I'll be what he wants me to be! I'll be mortal and young, I'll be dhampire! Anything he wishes, I'll be!" She grabbed her long with her hands, pulling at it madly. "He must love me! Everyone must love me!" She shoot out her hands over Shin's mum. "Spirit unknown. Soul disregard. Mine! By the glory of Lord on High, by the grace of Lady Beneath, displace…" Her words were cut off abruptly.

The gray insect creature leapt out from its concealment with the two dragon swords held in front of it. It let out a cry that was more than the fury the woman had shown, but less manic. "Foul thing!" It cried. "You've dirtied my pets with your hands!" It raised the swords and made a slashing movement as it leapt towards the woman. The move was fast, as fast as Ryou had ever been. Shin could hardly see when the blades of the swords had cut into the woman, slicing her clean through from shoulder to hip and shoulder to hip.

She looked shocked for a moment, one of those frozen moments one always sees in dramatic movies, then she fell. Her head and chest fell first, then her right side, then her left side. Four even cut pieces of the mad woman plopped down like a squishy, bloody jigsaw puzzle thrown on the floor.

"Shin?" Shin looked up just in time to see his mum's hand twitch as she began to wake. "Shin?"

"Mum!"

Continued… 


	14. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Home-  
Ryou-

Shin and Touma had brought everyone back through the portal. However it had been kept open, it closed once they were through. It wasn't exactly a relief, though. Ryou was just starting to get used to the whole vampire thing…well, not really. He didn't think he'd be able to get used to it and he was trying very hard not to think about all the people he'd killed just to satisfy his hunger. Despite all that, Ryou was pleasantly full when Anubisu returned to reclaim his body. Laying on the bloody grass, like a swollen tick, Ryou didn't even open his eyes when he felt his own hands touching him.

"Of all the times to be a glutton…" It was his own voice that Ryou heard. "Come on, then. It's mine. Give it back, my firefly."

So content and warm he felt that Ryou didn't think it at all odd to see himself looking down at him. He smiled up at himself, but didn't feel like talking. The pleasantly warm glow just made him want to go to sleep. But Anubisu's mind prodded at him, pushing and pulling until Ryou had to wake up to push him away. It was then that he felt as if he were falling and suddenly the comfort of a well-fed stomach were gone, replaced by the horror of what he'd done and the indescribably agony his body was in.

There was bliss, too. He wasn't alone, any longer. He could feel the others inside him, each one of them shouting for joy that they were together again. So loud they were that Ryou could hardly distinguish one from another. Deeper than their voices and deeper than the spot of coolness that was Anubisu's place in Ryou's mind, Rekka was pleased to be back with Ryou. Though it didn't speak to Ryou, Rekka pulsed like a heartbeat and made Ryou grow warm all over.

It would have been quite pleasant if it hadn't been for the mind-blowing pain.

He would have fallen but for the fact that Touma had him securely held with his arm around Ryou's waist. The others must have noticed the change. There was a lot of noise while they went to their friends. Seiji's hands were the first thing that broke through the pain in Ryou's mind. Seiji's wonderful, soft hands the made the pain melt away.

He didn't really pay much attention to anyone as they slowly made their way into the mansion. Upon entering the mansion, Shin rushed to set his mum on the sofa of the parlor then called out, "Seiji! Come check mum. She looks alright, but…"

The woman in question smiled up at Shin and tried to soothe his worries away. "Don't fret. I'm just tired and a little sore. What on Earth's happening? I feel like I've been sleeping for a hundred years and I've got a headache you wouldn't believe."

"Don't worry, mum. It's nothing. I'll tell you later." He smiled at her and patted the back of her hand, then fairly screamed, "Seiji!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Seiji turned away from Ryou with one last, critical appraisal. "Can you stand on your own?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm." Seiji was clearly not impressed by Ryou's quick answer. "Do it, then. Walk to the stairway. Touma, let go of him."

While Ryou did his best to satisfy Seiji, he was aware of what else was going on in the room. Rajura had an arm around Anubisu to support him, though all the way Anubisu was cursing at him. "Damned old man!" Naaza spat, speaking around his fangs. "If you'd just tell us some of the secrets you have crawling around in your head, we might not get into messes like this! Don't jar him!" He snapped when Rajura accidentally made Anubisu stumble slightly.

"I won't. I won't. Now, what's this about telling my secrets? Don't be silly."

"I'm not joking!" Naaza was nearly in a rage with his immense eyes wide and lisping because of his fangs. "Kay! Do keep up. Don't want you being left behind, hold the door, 'Jura and don't you think you're running off anywhere. This whole thing is your doing! You and your secrets!"

"Look," Rajura tried to sound reasonable as he guided Anubisu to an armchair and helped him to sit. "Even if I had told you, there's nothing that you could have done to prevent it. Fate is already written. It has already been predetermined, so knowing about it would only cause anxiety. It was also predetermined that Sedari would die at the end."

"I know your outlook on fate. You don't have to beat me over the head with it. Besides, that changes nothing. If you know it's going to happen, you should have told us. And what about all that crude you've been spewing for centuries about your touch being death? I'd like to know about that!" Once Naaza got off on a ramble, it seemed that he didn't like to stop. "Honestly, didn't you used to go on and on about the doom attached to a seer's touch? What happened to all that?"

Rajura shrugged, as though it didn't matter. "Nothing has happened to it. The old laws still apply."

"That fae thing touched you, didn't she? If I've got the story right, it was thousands of years ago when that pervert put her grimy paws all over you. She lived an awful long time for someone cursed."

"But, she did die and in a rather awful way."

"So you're saying we're all still cursed?" Naaza pulled Rajura down onto the sofa next to him and ran his sharp fingernails across the other man's cheek. "Ah, well. We all have to die, someday."

"Quite right." Rajura patted Naaza's thigh and then gave Anubisu a curious look. "You haven't said much."

Indeed, Anubisu said nothing. He slumped despondently in the chair and didn't even bother to bemoan his swelled belly. It wasn't until Jun crawled into his lap that Anubisu had any reaction at all and the reaction he had was a strange one. He muttered the word, "Mother", then held Jun close and sobbed. As Jun was stroking Anubisu's hair and crying, too, no one saw fit to disturb them.

As for Kayura, Naaza was kept busy healing the wound Ryou had given her. The healing didn't seem to take much effort on his part. He just pressed his hand against Kayura's throat where Ryou had bitten her and held it there for a moment. While Kayura made faces of discomfort, she didn't complain and when Naaza took his hand away, there was no more wound.

"Something will have to be done with the bodies." It was Michael who spoke, seemingly as calm as if it were an everyday thing to have corpses scattered around one's front yard. He turned to look at Xiu who, like the rest of them, was still in his yoroi, and looked more tired than anything else. "You know, there was a time when I thought I knew everything about you."

Xiu got a defiant look in his eyes, not uncommon for him, and grabbed Seiji as he made his way to the sofa to tend Shin's mum. "Well, did you know this?" He kissed Seiji full on the lips, a long, passionate, wet kiss. He released Seiji with a triumphant grim, though Seiji just rolled his eyes.

"Save it for tonight. Can't you see I'm working?"

Michael's reaction was just as placid. "Of course I knew. Your father told me. This whole 'magic' thing takes a bit of getting used to, though. Those bodies…I know some people. Is there a phone around here? We should get it cleaned up by daybreak and your folks will want to know you're alright."

A few hours passed, day came and faded away. The bodies were, as Michael delicately put it, taken care of by people in an unmarked white van. Three men in overalls had loaded up the bodies and drove them away without a word and Xiu advised them all not to ask any questions.

Not too long after the van had left, a large black car pulled up in front of the mansion and family poured out of it. Mama and papa Faun, grandfather Date, and okaasan Akane all spilled out of the car. In the end, they all clustered together in the parlor, which didn't seem nearly so spacious as it used to.

Shin and Touma were sitting at the dining table with Shin's moms, trying to explain what had happened while keeping them from panicking about the baby. The two mothers didn't want to stay long as they agreed that Shin's mum should see a doctor as soon as possible to make sure no damage had been done.

Seiji and grandfather Date stayed protectively close to Ryou, especially after grandfather Date had seen Ryou's awful scars. While Ryou had passed Seiji's test about walking six feet to the stairway, Seiji wasn't entirely convinced about his heath and ordered that Ryou shouldn't go anywhere but to bed without supervision, to which grandfather Date had quickly agreed. He, the old man had said, would stay until he was certain Ryou was healed or Ryou would return to the Date dojo with him. Those were the only two choices. In the end, Seiji had happily told his grandfather that he could use one of the many spare rooms.

Mama and papa Faun were fussing over both Xiu and Michael, though Michael kept trying to squirm away from mama Faun's stern lecture about wandering off without telling anyone where he was going. "Mama!" Michael protested as quietly as he could. "I'm a hardened assassin and ruthless criminal. It's not like I'm going to…"

"Don't you back talk me, young man!" She had grabbed Michael by the ear at that point and hauled him off to the car, muttering angrily about uppity boys and how they thought they could take on the world.

Papa Faun shrugged helplessly. "Women." He said, in way of defense of his wife. "Still, Michael should have known better than to question her. Boy," He looked at Xiu, then at Seiji and managed a smile. "Stop by the restaurant for a bite one of these days." He tipped his hat to Seiji and gave Xiu a quick hug before he followed mama Faun and Michael with the Mouri ladies behind him. No doubt he would make sure they were taken to their physician.

The minute the car pulled away, Xiu let out an ecstatic yelp at the top of his lungs and threw his arms around Seiji. "Did you hear that! Did you!"

"Yes." Seiji smiled quietly. "Took him long enough. Guess he finally understands that I'm not helping his baby boy on his way to Hell."

Rajura and Naaza kept close to one another and Kayura, far from the terrifying woman they'd faced in battle, was desperately shy around all the strangers and kept right at Anubisu's side until he went to speak with Jun and then he left her with Rajura and Naaza. After that, Kayura latched onto Naaza's arm and said very little the whole evening.

"Ryou, are you listening?"

With a start, Ryou turned back to grandfather Date. "Yes. Sorry. I just got distracted. Still trying to sort everything out, I guess." He thought he had the whole thing straight.

"Don't worry too much." Grandfather Date told him. "How are you feeling?"

He'd been cut open and studied like a lab rat. How good could he be feeling? Then again, it was Anubisu who'd had to suffer through it. "I could be worse, I guess." He saw Anubisu on the far side of the room, kneeling in front of Jun, speaking quietly about something. It was going to be hard to start thinking of Jun as anything other than a child. Harder still to think of Anubisu as anything but the enemy. "I should ask Anubisu, though. He went to a lot of trouble to help me and I'm still not sure how or even why."

"A good idea." Grandfather Date gingerly touched Ryou on the back, patting him slightly. "He seems like a good boy."

"You don't know him." Ryou laughed.

"I know he saved you and his green haired friend saved Seiji. I have precious little family left, so I'd like to keep what I do have left. I'll be grateful for him."

Ryou always thought grandfather Date was a little odd. He was a great and intimidating man, to be sure, but he always spoke like he knew something no one else knew and was reluctant to tell it. But when he looked again at Anubisu, Ryou thought that maybe what grandfather Date knew wasn't so important as what might be. He found that he wasn't entirely adverse to the idea that he and Anubisu had been lovers.

He certainly wasn't homophobic - even after his disastrous experiences - so the general concept of having a male lover was no trouble for him. The problem was that it wasn't real to him. He had only Naaza's word for it and the strange bond that had appeared between himself and Anubisu. He looked at Anubisu where he was speaking quietly with Jun. Jun was the picture of despair and it was no wonder. He'd always been so close to Nasutei.

Suddenly, Anubisu raised his face and looked at Ryou over his shoulder. Their eyes met for a moment before Anubisu looked back down at Jun and whispered something. Slowly, Jun slipped his arms back around Anubisu's neck and pressed their cheeks together. It seemed…wrong…to see such a little boy holding a grown man like that. Not just because it brought back painful memories for Ryou, but because Jun was the one initiating it. Anubisu just knelt there, patiently waiting to be released. "Miko was my favorite." Jun said, looking directly at Ryou. "She died for you."

"I know." It wasn't something Ryou was proud of. Vampire or not, Nasutei had been a lady. There was no reason why she should have been involved in a war. The house and all her fortune had - quite rightly - been left to Jun. "Do we call you Jun or Abraham?"

"Jun, I think. I'm used to it now and Abraham is really for another part of my life." Jun stood abruptly and headed for the front door. "I think I'll go out for a bit. Don't wait up for me." There was nothing vampire-like about him, anymore. He seemed entirely like the little boy they'd all grown to care for and it was hard to start thinking of him like a little adult. The fact that he was older than everyone else in the room, with the possible exception of Rajura, forced Ryou to think of him a little differently.

Seiji, sighed and shook his head. "Brother of mine," He put his arms around Ryou and kissed his cheek lightly. "Time for you to be getting to bed.."

"But, I just want to get a few things straight." Ryou was tired of standing. Despite Seiji's healing, he was still unbearably sore and tired. There were empty chairs in the parlor, now that half the guests had left, but Ryou sank down onto the stairs instead. "Rajura," He looked at the one-eyed man sitting on the sofa with Naaza cuddle up next to him - a scene Ryou had never thought he'd see. "You aren't Rajura? Your name is Ari and you really are a seer. See the future and all that stuff?"

"And all that stuff." Rajura confirmed with a soft smile as he patted Naaza's hair. "But, as I told Sedari, Ari is dead. I AM Gen Ma-Sho Rajura."

"What's it like?" Xiu asked. He was on the floor between Ryou and where Seiji was leaning against the fireplace. Ryou could feel their minds rubbing against each other like content cats. It was such a relief to have that bond back. Didn't feel like he was half-dead anymore.

"A nuisance. More a curse than a gift, really. Still, it can be useful."

"Any chances of you giving me an outcome of the football game on Saturday?"

"Sure. What are the chances of me lying just to see you lose your money?"

"Damn." Xiu cursed.

"Right, then," Ryou continued, trying desperately to make sense of things. "You," He looked at Naaza. "Hate humans, but you saved Seiji. Right?"

"Right."

"Why?"

"Why not? I had nothing else to do that day."

"I think you're lying."

"Tough."

Giving up on Naaza, Ryou turned his gaze to the most alien of the people in the room, the Wyrm. "And you…you're Byakuren?" He was obviously having a hard time believing that one.

"Yes, Ryou." The Wyrm came forward and stood over Ryou, smiling down at him and it felt safe. The creature smiled, but it was like looking at Byakuen smile. Though the teeth were terrible, Ryou wasn't afraid. "If you need proof I can tell you things that no one but you and I know. Our hunting trips and the food your mother used to make for you. The songs she would sing to you. For now," It held out the Ryoken to Ryou and let him take it. "I'll take the shape of the tiger, if it makes you more comfortable. Really, it makes no difference to me."

Ryou shifted uneasily, holding the sword more awkwardly than he had since he was a child. "Actually, I think it would. Just for a while, until I get used to the whole idea. Can I still call you Yaku-chan?" It didn't seem right to give such a cutesy name to the fearsome person in front of him. Like naming a crocodile Fluffy.

The Wyrm leaned down and put its hands on Ryou's shoulders. "If you like." It kissed his forehead then, before it even took it's face away from Ryou, it transformed into the white tiger. Byakuen gave Ryou's face a hearty lick, then jumped off him and padded away to curl up in a corner. On the floor where the Wyrm had stood, were two swords - the twin Ryokens.

Ryou grew pale at the sight of the two of them. "I'd like to know where you found the other one."

But Byakuen didn't answer. He just curled up by the fire and looked smug.

"Enough." Seiji's voice was stern, broking no argument, as he helped Ryou to his feet. "I don't want you stumbling down the stairs in the middle of the night, so it's the first floor guestroom for you." He ignored Ryou's protests that he should be allowed to make his own choice in the matter and that he wanted to ask some more questions. Were the Ma-Sho staying with them? Was Kayura alright? He hadn't meant to hurt anyone. "Time enough for that later." Seiji said, briskly as the sounds of talking from the parlor died away. It was just a short walk down the hall to the bedroom and Seiji helped Ryou to lay down, covering him with the blankets. "Right now, your body needs sleep." He managed a smile. "I expect everything's going to take getting used to. It'll take a while so a short nap won't hurt you at all."

Seiji left the room, but not before he'd opened the curtains to let in the early morning light. It surprised Ryou that Seiji let Anubisu into the room without a fight. They were allies, it shouldn't have surprised him, but it did. Seiji nodded curtly to Anubisu and briefly touched on Ryou's mind to say, IF YOU NEED US, CALL. Then he was gone.

Anubisu seemed to find it all very amusing as he sauntered into the room and sat heavily on a chair near the door. "He's protective, that brother of yours."

Ryou shook his head. Of course Anubisu would know about Seiji. They'd been mucking around in each other's heads for long enough, though Ryou hadn't been in any state of mind to find anything much out at the time. "Nasutei, she was special to you." No one had missed how he'd cried with Abraham when he'd been told that she'd been killed.

"She was my mother." With his head hung low, Ryou couldn't tell if Anubisu was crying or not, but it seemed important that he know. He didn't add anything to the statement, but really? What could he add?

"She was always good to us." Ryou wanted to slap himself for that. How trite could one get? He might as well have been talking about the family dog. What could he say, though? A proud exclamation of how Nasutei had helped them to trounce Arago didn't seem quite appropriate.

"She was good. Period."

They sat in silence until it became oppressive and Ryou felt the need to say something. "So…ummm…Naaza said…"

"Naaza has a big mouth. Yes, we met before the war. Yes, I destroyed some of your memories. I won't apologize." He crossed his arms at that and sat a little further back in the chair. "There are some things I'm sure you'd like to know, but none of it really makes any difference, now. It was for the best back then."

"Naaza said it was sort of necessary."

"It seemed necessary. It WAS necessary."

"Before the fae and all this started, were you planning to tell me?"

"No." Anubisu answered easily and without hesitation. "You were happy. Why should I disturb that?"

"Because it's the truth."

"Hardly a decent reason."

The awkward silence stretched a little further after that and Ryou tried to think of a way to ask what he'd been thinking about since Naaza had told him. "Did we…you know?"

"Know what?"

Ryou blushed bright pink and was glad that the room was still half in darkness. "IT."

It took a minute, then understanding dawned on Anubisu's face. "Ah. IT." Anubisu let out a rather self-deprecating laugh. "No. Not even once. Don't be mistaken. It wasn't a long or glorious love affair. I saw you street walking and watched you be taken away by a man. I was curious. Nothing more. You know I am dhampire?" When he saw Ryou look away uncomfortably, he continued. "I see you do. I enjoy the taste of blood and thought you would make a nice snack. Your blood was the warmest I'd ever tasted and I wanted more. Maybe its because we both have yoroi. I don't know. But I did know that I wanted more and I returned for you. I took a taste of your blood again before your friends discovered me and chased me off. Don't get all offended. I'd destroyed their memories, too, so they couldn't have told you anything. I do not know if it was love," He hesitated at the word. "Or not. I was inexperienced at such things. I did want to see you and to speak with you. I didn't want to see you hurt and I was fiercely territorial concerning you. I suppose that might be love. Maybe. I'd never thought too much about it."

Ryou ended up feeling guilty. Anubisu obviously felt strongly for him, but Ryou didn't feel much of anything at all. Still…Anubisu wasn't ugly by any means. True, he wasn't as handsome as Seiji or even Rajura, but he wasn't ugly. More striking than handsome. "I don't love you. I don't even know you." Somehow, it came out sounding like an apology.

"I understand." Anubisu's voice was even, but low.

"I don't want to hurt you, but it's kinda weird, ya know?" Ryou picked at his knee in an effort to keep his hands away from his chest. "It just doesn't seem real."

"Real enough to me."

"So," Ryou said after a long, awkward silence. "This bond-thing, how far does it go? I heard your voice, like I hear the guys, but it's not like the link we have with the yoroi. It's…not deeper, just different, I guess. How did it happen?"

"It's never happened to me before, so I really don't know. I'm not exactly a vampire, so my grandsire can't help me out much as far as information goes. I believe it happened after the second time I took blood from you. In all honesty, I've never given myself much thought. I haven't been close with anyone for a long time and then Rajura came for me and I suddenly had three bonds closer than I'd ever experienced before. I'd never thought to have anything more than that." He turned away from Ryou, sharply. "This was all as much of a surprise to me as to you. You weren't supposed to be anything but a quick snack."

"Thanks for that boost to my self-confidence."

"You're quite welcome."

"You didn't answer my question. How far does this go? So far I've only been in contact with you when we were both separated from the rest of our friends. Now, I can feel you in my mind, but it doesn't feel as strong. Are you blocking me?"

"Not intentionally, but neither am I actively trying to touch your mind. I know you're worried about what I know. I can see - for lack of a better word - people when I taste their blood. I know everything about you."

"Everything?" Ryou thought back to everything he'd done in his life and frowned. There were lots of things he didn't want anyone to know about. "What kind of 'everything'?"

"Thieving. Your hunting, which doesn't repulse me at all, in case you're wondering. Your shame at the man you trusted having betrayed that trust. Your shame at not being able to take care of your grandmother as well as you thought you should be able to. Everything. I'll keep your secrets, no fear, there." Anubisu looked back at Ryou and gave the tiniest of smiles. "As for how far our bond goes, I'll show you." Anubisu's mind reached out and brushed against Ryou's, then sought something deeper. It pushed against Ryou's mind, then penetrated.

What he showed Ryou was not just the memories of what he'd gotten from Ryou's mind, but also Anubisu's memories. Ryou lay back as the memories washed over him. He saw little Jun as Anubisu saw him sitting in a high-backed chair in an old European manor house. He saw Nasutei flying over the Egyptian desert. He saw intimate moments with Naaza, naked and fast asleep laying contentedly beside Anubisu and more scenes of Sh'ten's playful pain and Rajura's nagging love. He saw midnight hunting on Earth with a wolf, Lightfoot, at his side.

"That's just for a start. I don't know that there is a limit. WE managed to change bodies, when it became necessary. No. Don't look ashamed. IT was as much my choice as it was yours. I've been trained to withstand torture tactics in interrogation." At Ryou's wondering look, he grinned and reached out as if he might touch the burned scars on Ryou's chest, but let his fingers just hover over the skin. "Rajura was VERY thorough in our training. Sh'ten helped a lot with that, as I remember. 'Jura said 'Ten-chan didn't need the training. That brat would have gone to the enemy giggling if he thought he'd have any chance of getting a little torture out of the deal."

"I never saw that side of him."

"Then you didn't know him very well. He was hiding himself. Probably trying to protect you." Anubisu pulled back to himself, he leaned forward with his hands on his knees. "That's who I am. More than Yami. More than Arago's lapdog." He shrugged, helplessly and stood. "I'm not a man of words, never was. The bond's there and I don't know a way to break it. If you think you can, we can live just as it is. I'm not asking for anything more."

Every movement hurt despite Seiji's healing, he ached all over. It was nothing, he knew, compared to what Anubisu must have felt during the torture. Still, Anubisu had willingly taken Ryou's place to spare him the pain. He was trained to stand torture, which meant he must have known what he was getting himself into. Ryou wasn't even sure he'd be able to make that kind of sacrifice. It made him think more highly of Anubisu than anything else.

'He did it for me.' It wasn't often that anyone outside of Ryou's tight circle of friends did something so selfless for Ryou. Everyone wanted something, but for the life of him, Ryou couldn't figure out what Anubisu wanted. Oh, he knew what Anubisu WANTED - that much was obvious from the memories he'd shared - but he asked for nothing. To have someone deliberately place themselves in the path of pain to save a person…that was something that bore consideration, respect, and gratitude. Ryou's face hardened as he looked at himself in the mirror. 'A real man would at least give him a chance.'

"When I fed, when I was you…"

"I am sorry about that. I'm sure it must have been quite the shock." Anubisu looked uncomfortable and shifted in the chair. "You mustn't feel guilty about it. It wasn't really you that did it. My body just wanted some blood and they were the closest at hand."

"I don't feel guilty, not exactly. Not about the fae. It was a battle and what I did helped rescue you and the others. So, I'm not sorry they died. I'm not sure how I feel about the blood, though. When I was young, I ate a freshly killed animal. There was blood everywhere and I remember licking my fingers clean of it. I liked it, before I realized what I'd done. It tasted good today, too." He paused, then added, "I'm sorry I hurt Kayura."

"She's a tough girl. She'll forgive you."

He wanted something, Ryou could tell. It was that bond, but when he went to explore it, to find out what it was that Anubius wanted, he found that his friends were watching, too. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Ryou demanded. SPYING ON ME?

ONLY BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU. Shin whispered back in a teasing voice. DON'T YOU TWO LOOK ALL CUTE AND CUDDLY SITTING IN THE DARK TOGETHER.

WHAT?

IT'S TRUE. THE SHOCK WAS A BIT MUCH, BUT I THINK WE CAN ALL DEAL WITH IT. IT'S NOT AS IF YOU BEING WITH ANUBISU IS ANY WEIRDER THAN ANYTHING ELSE WE'VE DONE, LATELY.

Seiji sounded slightly disapproving. WE SHOUD FIND OUT WHAT ANUBISU'S INTENTIONS ARE. CAN'T HAVE HIM JUST USE UP ALL OUR RYOU'S LOVIN' AND TOSS HIM OUT LIKE OLD DISHWATER.

Shin spoke up, defensively. I'LL BREAK HIS KNEECAPS IF HE DOES! Then his tone changed to something sweeter. BUT LOOK AT HIM. POOR ANUBISU. HE LOOKS SO LONELY SITTING THERE IN THE DARK AND HE DOES SEEM TO CARE. A LITTLE KISS WON'T HURT.

IT MIGHT. Touma added his two cents in. DON'T DO IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO. MAYBE HE'LL NIBBLE ON YOUR NECK AGAIN.

That, Ryou thought, might not be such a bad thing.

Somehow, it was Xiu who had the best idea. AWW…JUST DO IT.

Ryou wanted to. He found that he really wanted to just jump out of bed and jump into Anubisu's lap and give him a big, wet kiss. But though he was sure it was what he wanted, it just wasn't in Ryou. Firstly, his body wasn't up to the challenge of leaping. Secondly, touching anyone he didn't know well just wasn't in Ryou's nature. He wanted to…but…

Anubisu let out a frustrated sigh. "Oh, Hell with it." He surged to his feet and lunged at Ryou, grabbing his face with both hands to hold him still then kissing him hard on the lips. Anubisu did nothing by halves. He leaned over Ryou while he kissed, towering over him until he finally let go of Ryou and stepped back a few paces. "I lied." He said, somewhat shamefully. "I guess I will demand some things."

Anubisu, Ryou decided, was a VERY good kisser. By the time Ryou blinked and realized that he wasn't going to get a second kiss - and frowned with disappointment - Anubisu had left the room, his heavy feet stomping on the floor until they disappeared. After a moment, there was a movement outside Ryou's window. He waited a moment and then saw Anubisu with a brown wolf trotting at his side. Lightfoot, Byakuen's other self.

ANUBISU?

Anubisu stopped and half-way turned back to the house. His eyes went directly to the window Ryou was looking out of. The moonlight falling on his face enough to let Ryou see the carefully neutral expression. YES?

Ryou was at a loss as to what to say. He knew what he felt, but getting the right words was hard. I CAN LIVE WITH THE BOND, IF YOU CAN.

EASILY. It was impossible to ignore the happiness in Anubisu's voice, though Anubisu tried very hard to conceal it. He turned again and ran into the forest, vanishing into the shadows.

Ryou smiled, satisfied. It would do, for the time being. He put a hand against the cold glass of the window. Maybe one day, there could be something more. All relationships begin with friendship, right? He put his fingers to his lips - ignoring the chatter of his friends - and smiled.

Definitely more than friendship.

The End 


End file.
